HomeCirculars › RBI/2008-09/457

Certified Copies for Courts: Co-op Banks Must Follow Evidence Act

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2008-09/457 · issued 24 Apr 2009 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI mandates all StCBs and DCCBs to attach a statutory certificate under Section 2A of the Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891 when submitting computer printouts as evidence in court. Without it, courts may reject the document.

What changed

RBI issued a circular advising cooperative banks to comply with the Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891 when furnishing certified copies or computer printouts to courts. This follows a court observation in Maharashtra that banks must accompany such data with a certificate under Section 2A(a) and (b) of the Act.

What it means for you

Banks must now ensure that any computer-generated data submitted as evidence includes a certificate from the principal accountant or branch manager, plus a detailed certificate from the person in charge of the computer system. Non-compliance risks the court not admitting the document without further proof, potentially weakening legal cases.

Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.

What banks were required to do at the time

Who it affects

State Co-operative Banks (StCBs), District Central Co-operative Banks (DCCBs), Branch managers and principal accountants, IT system administrators in cooperative banks

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

What happens if we submit a computer printout without the certificate?

The court is not obliged to admit the document as evidence without further proof, which could delay or weaken your case.

Who needs to sign the certificate under Section 2A?

Two certificates are needed: one by the principal accountant or branch manager, and another by the person in charge of the computer system detailing safeguards.

📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Repealed by RBI/2025-26/100 — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)
RBI’s words: “Official withdrawal register entry #1947: RPCD.CO.RF.BC.No.100/07.38.03/2008-09 — "The Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891 - Submission of Certified Copies of Entries / Print Out to Courts" dated April ”
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
(a) are maintained in written form, a copy of any entry in such books together with a certificate written at the foot of such copy that it is a true copy of such entry, that such entry is contained in one of the  ordinary books of the bank and was made in the usual and ordinary course of business and that such book is still in the custody of the bank, and where the copy was obtained by a mechanical or other process which in itself ensured the accuracy of the copy, a further certificate to that effect, but where the book from which such copy was prepared has been destroyed in the usual course of the bank's business after the date on which the copy had been so prepared, a further certificate to that effect, each such certificate being dated and subscribed by the principal accountant or manager of the bank with his name and official title; and (b) consist of printouts of data stored in a floppy, disc, tape or any other electro-magnetic data storage device, a printout of such entry or a copy of such printout together with such statements certified in accordance with the provisions of section 2A. (c)  a printout of any entry in the books' of a bank stored in a micro film, magnetic tape or in any other form of mechanical or electronic data retrieval mechanism obtained by a mechanical or other process which in itself ensures the accuracy of such printout as a copy of such entry and such printout contains the certificate in accordance with the provisions of section 2A.
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2008-09/457 · issued 24 Apr 2009. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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Topics: Co-operative Banks
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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 05 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly).
Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=4954&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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