Presumptions of Fact under Section 114 of the Indian Evidence Act: Judicial Trajectories and Contemporary Applications

Presumptions of Fact under Section 114 of the Indian Evidence Act: Judicial Trajectories and Contemporary Applications

Introduction

Section 114 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (“Evidence Act”) authorises courts to “presume the existence of any fact which it thinks likely to have happened, regard being had to the common course of natural events, human conduct and public and private business, in their relation to the facts of the particular case.”[1] Although cast in permissive language (“may presume”), the provision has profoundly influenced Indian adjudication by permitting judges to convert experiential common-sense into structured legal reasoning. Through an examination of leading Supreme Court and High Court authorities, this article analyses (i) the normative basis of Section 114, (ii) its interaction with the burden of proof and other statutory presumptions, and (iii) doctrinal trends in drawing adverse inferences, especially under Illustration (g).

Statutory Framework and Doctrinal Setting

The Evidence Act classifies presumptions into “may presume” (Sections 114, 86, 87 etc.), “shall presume” (Sections 79-90) and “conclusive proof” (Sections 41, 112). Section 114 is residuary and discretionary. Its illustrations, though non-exhaustive, refer inter alia to possession of stolen property (Illustration (a)), official acts (Illustration (e)) and withholding of evidence (Illustration (g)). Two doctrinal pillars frame judicial use of Section 114:

  • Probabilistic Reasoning: Courts translate experience of “the common course of natural events” into rebuttable factual inferences.
  • Burden-Shifting: Once a presumption is drawn, the evidential burden shifts to the party against whom it operates, though the legal burden remains with the proponent of the fact in issue unless another statutory rule intervenes.

Section 114 and Circumstantial Evidence

The Complete-Chain Approach

The Supreme Court in Trimukh Maroti Kirkan v. State of Maharashtra[2] relied on Section 114, coupled with Section 106 (facts within exclusive knowledge), to sustain a conviction based purely on circumstantial evidence in a dowry-death strangulation. The Court articulated a “complete chain” test: where the prosecution establishes circumstances leading inexorably to guilt and the accused fails to offer a plausible alternative, the presumption of culpability may be safely drawn. Importantly, Section 114 operated not mechanically but contextually – secrecy of the matrimonial home, pattern of harassment, and medical evidence of asphyxia converged to make the inference “likely to have happened.”

Safeguards against Conjecture

The converse scenario appeared in Tomaso Bruno v. State of Uttar Pradesh[3]. There, critical CCTV footage was withheld by the prosecution. Invoking Illustration (g), the Court drew an adverse presumption that the electronic evidence, if produced, would have favoured the defence, thereby dismantling the prosecution’s circumstantial chain. The decision underscores that Section 114 does not dilute the fundamental requirement of proof beyond reasonable doubt; rather, it furnishes a disciplined method of evaluating evidentiary gaps.

Administrative and Corruption Cases

In C. Chenga Reddy v. State of A.P.[4] the Court declined to uphold corruption convictions predicated on speculative inferences. While Section 114 could theoretically authorise presumptions about administrative irregularities, the Court insisted on “incontrovertible evidence” linking the accused to misappropriation. The case illustrates judicial reluctance to allow Section 114 to eclipse the high criminal standard when circumstantial evidence is tenuous.

Interaction with Thematic Statutory Presumptions

Negotiable Instruments Act – Section 118

In Kundan Lal Rallaram v. Custodian, Evacuee Property[5], the presumption of consideration under Section 118 of the Negotiable Instruments Act intersected with Section 114. The Supreme Court held that while Section 118 “shall presume” consideration, the defendant may rebut it, inter alia, by demonstrating the claimant’s strategic withholding of account books. Illustration (g) of Section 114 thus furnished the evidential mechanism to defeat a statutory presumption of law, reconciling two presumptive regimes without contradiction.

Civil Litigation and Additional Evidence

Union of India v. Ibrahim Uddin[6] reaffirmed that adverse inference under Section 114 cannot be invoked unless foundational facts exist (willful suppression of evidence; opportunity to produce). The Court castigated the lower courts for reversing the burden of proof and for admitting a will at the appellate stage to cure evidentiary lacunae, emphasising procedural discipline alongside Section 114’s substantive logic.

Adverse Inference under Illustration (g)

Conceptual Rationale

Illustration (g) embodies the maxim omnia praesumuntur contra spoliatorem (“all things are presumed against the wrong-doer”). The Supreme Court in Limbaji v. State of Maharashtra[7] described Section 114 as “a way to discern the truth … guided by common sense,” clarifying that the presumption is rebuttable and contingent on case-specific facts. Subsequent High Courts, e.g., Ved Parkash Kharbanda v. Vimal Bindal[8], have echoed the metaphor that such presumptions “disappear in the sunshine of facts.”

Withholding Documentary Evidence

The Privy Council’s critique in Murugesam Pillai of litigants who “lie by, trusting to the abstract doctrine of onus” has been repeatedly approved in India.[9] In Agurchand Bhomraj Sowcar v. Deochand[10], the Andhra Pradesh High Court explicitly linked this principle to Illustration (g), holding that non-production of vital documents justifies an inference adverse to the defaulting party, subject always to contextual equities (e.g., privacy concerns envisaged in the statutory note to Illustration (g)).

Suppression of Official Records

Section 114, Illustration (e) (official acts presumed regularly performed) can combine with Illustration (g) to produce nuanced results. In Saiyad Mohd. Umar Saiyad v. State of Gujarat[11] the prosecution invoked Illustration (e) to presume that police complied with NDPS requirements. The Supreme Court rejected automatic application, emphasising that the foundation for Illustration (e)—regular course of official business—must itself be established, failing which Illustration (g) may be attracted against the State for non-production of contemporaneous documentation.

Section 114, Section 106 and Reverse Burdens

Post-State of W.B. v. Mir Mohd. Omar jurisprudence frequently couples Section 114 with Section 106 (facts within special knowledge). The synergy is apparent in Gopal Singh v. State of Uttarakhand[12], where the Supreme Court, though primarily deciding sentencing, observed that failure of the accused to explain incriminating circumstances after the prosecution had established foundational facts could justify presumptive reasoning consistent with Section 114. However, the Court reiterated that Section 106 cannot relieve the prosecution of its primary burden—an important doctrinal caution.

Concurrent Civil and Criminal Proceedings

Section 114 also surfaces in assessing the evidentiary impact of parallel proceedings. In Syed Askari Hadi Ali Augustine Imam v. State[13], the Supreme Court analysed Sections 40-43 of the Evidence Act but implicitly relied on Section 114 to hold that pending probate actions do not necessarily negate the presumptive legitimacy of criminal proceedings, especially where the chronology of filings suggests probable mala fides in invoking civil jurisdiction to stall criminal accountability.

Contours of Judicial Discretion

Despite its elasticity, Section 114 is cabined by three prudential limits:

  1. Factual Foundation: There must be proved facts from which the inference is drawn. Mere suspicion or possibilities do not suffice.
  2. Context Sensitivity: The “common course” qualifier demands reference to prevailing social, technological and commercial realities (e.g., expectations regarding CCTV preservation today).
  3. Proportionality: Especially in criminal cases, the court must assess whether the proposed inference, if rebutted, would still leave a reasonable doubt.[14]

Conclusion

Section 114 remains a linchpin of Indian evidentiary jurisprudence, harmonising logic, experience and fairness. The surveyed decisions demonstrate that, when judiciously applied, the provision strengthens truth-seeking by bridging evidentiary interstices without undermining foundational burdens of proof. Future adjudication—enmeshed increasingly with digital evidence and complex commercial instruments—will doubtless continue to test the elasticity of Section 114. Yet its enduring vitality lies in the Supreme Court’s steady insistence that presumptions, however powerful, must always bow to cogent rebuttal and constitutional commitments to due process.

Footnotes

  1. Indian Evidence Act, 1872, s. 114.
  2. Trimukh Maroti Kirkan v. State of Maharashtra, (2007) SCC Cri 1.
  3. Tomaso Bruno v. State of Uttar Pradesh, (2015) 7 SCC 178.
  4. C. Chenga Reddy v. State of A.P., (1996) 10 SCC 193.
  5. Kundan Lal Rallaram v. Custodian, Evacuee Property, AIR 1961 SC 1316.
  6. Union of India v. Ibrahim Uddin, (2012) 8 SCC 148.
  7. Limbaji v. State of Maharashtra, (2001) Supreme Court.
  8. Ved Parkash Kharbanda v. Vimal Bindal, Delhi HC (2013).
  9. Murugesam Pillai v. Gnana Sambandha Pandara Sannadhi, (1917) Privy Council.
  10. Agurchand Bhomraj Sowcar v. Deochand, 1957 SCC OnLine AP 203.
  11. Saiyad Mohd. Umar Saiyad v. State of Gujarat, (1995) 3 SCC 610.
  12. Gopal Singh v. State of Uttarakhand, (2013) 7 SCC 545.
  13. Syed Askari Hadi Ali Augustine Imam v. State, (2009) 5 SCC 528.
  14. See, e.g., Tulshiram Sahadu Suryawanshi v. State of Maharashtra, (2012) 10 SCC 373, para 23 (clarifying limits of presumptions under Sections 114 and 106).