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Introduction

If you need to put an electronic record — an email, a CCTV clip, a WhatsApp export, a disk image — before a court in India, you will be asked for a certificate. People still call it the Section 65B certificate, after the old Indian Evidence Act provision, but the law has moved on, and the same certificate now lives in the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. The single most common question we get is simply: what does the certificate actually look like, and what goes in each box? This article walks through the Section 65B certificate format in plain language, shows a filled illustrative example so you can see exactly where each piece of information sits, and explains how e-Dex (formerly Hash Calculator) helps you produce one offline. For the wider picture, our guide to electronic evidence certificates in India is a good companion read.

Section 65B IEA → Section 63 BSA: Same Purpose, Prescribed Form

Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 set out how a computer output could be admitted as evidence and required a certificate to accompany it. The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA) has since replaced the Evidence Act, and the equivalent provision is now Section 63, with the certificate prescribed in a Schedule to the BSA, laid out in Part A and Part B form. The purpose has not changed: the certificate links a copy of an electronic record back to its source and attests that it was produced reliably. If you are working on a matter governed by the BSA, the correct reference is Section 63 and its Schedule, even if everyone in the room still says "65B". Our deep dive on the Section 63 BSA 2023 electronic evidence certificate covers the transition in more detail.

What the Certificate Must Establish

Strip away the formatting and the certificate is really making four connected claims. First, the source: which device or system the electronic record came from. Second, that the device was in regular use and operating properly over the relevant period, so the output can be trusted. Third, how the record was produced or copied — the tool, the method, the steps. Fourth, the integrity of the copy now being tendered, typically demonstrated through cryptographic hash values that anyone can re-verify. The Part A / Part B structure exists to capture each of these in turn, with the party producing the record speaking to the first three and an expert speaking to the technical examination.

The Format at a Glance — Part A and Part B

The certificate has two halves. Part A is completed by the party producing the electronic record. It identifies the case, describes the record, names the source device, explains how the record was identified and produced, states the period during which the device was in regular use and working correctly, and records the integrity or hash values for each exhibit. Part B is completed by an expert who examines the record and gives an opinion on it. Both parts are dated and signed. The sections below show an illustrative filled version so the layout is concrete — but remember this is an illustration of what information goes where, not a reproduction of the statutory wording.

Worked Example (Illustrative)

The box below is a fictional, illustrative example built around an imaginary case to show the kind of information each field expects. It is not the verbatim statutory Schedule and does not quote its exact wording. Treat it as a layout guide only, and always complete the actual form by reading the current Schedule to the BSA as it stands.

Where the Hash Values Fit (MATCH / MISMATCH)

Hash values are the part of the certificate that makes integrity checkable rather than merely asserted. A cryptographic hash is a fixed-length fingerprint of a file's contents; change a single byte and the fingerprint changes completely. By recording the hash of each exhibit in Part A, the certificate lets anyone re-compute the same value later and compare. If every byte is identical the result is MATCH and the file is unchanged; if anything differs the result is MISMATCH and the file has been altered or corrupted. This is the same verifiable core described in our evidence integrity certificate article — the Section 63 / 65B certificate simply wraps those values in the court-prescribed Part A / Part B form along with the device and acquisition story.

Signing & Timestamping (PAdES / DSC + RFC-3161)

Once the certificate is generated, two optional steps harden it. A PAdES digital signature applied with a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) on a USB token binds the signer's identity to the PDF, so any later edit becomes detectable. An RFC-3161 trusted timestamp from an independent Time-Stamping Authority seals the exact moment the certificate was produced, so its date cannot be quietly backdated. Together they answer the "could this have been tampered with after the fact?" question. Only the timestamp step needs the internet; signing happens locally.

How to Generate It With e-Dex

In practice the workflow is short. (1) Add the exhibit files or a forensic image to e-Dex and let it compute the hashes. (2) Verify each file so the certificate carries a clear MATCH / MISMATCH result. (3) Fill in the Part A details — case reference, device, how the record was produced, the period of regular use — and the Part B expert details. (4) Generate the certificate in the literal Part A / Part B Schedule form. (5) Optionally PAdES-sign it with your DSC and apply an RFC-3161 timestamp. The whole process runs fully offline on a single Windows machine, so your evidence never leaves your computer. You can download e-Dex free and try it on a test set first.

A Note on Legal Advice

e-Dex helps you produce a well-structured, integrity-backed certificate in the Part A / Part B form; it is a tool, not a substitute for legal counsel, and it does not guarantee that any document will be admitted. The illustrative example above is just that — an illustration of where information goes — and not a reproduction of the statutory Schedule. The exact fields, wording, who must depose and how, and any timing requirements are matters of law that turn on the current provision and the facts of your matter. Always read the Schedule to the BSA as it stands and take advice where the stakes warrant it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the format of a Section 65B certificate?
A Section 65B certificate (now Section 63 of the BSA 2023) follows the Schedule form set out in the statute, organised into Part A and Part B. Part A is filled by the party producing the electronic record and describes the record, the source device, how the record was identified and produced, the period the device was in regular and proper use, and the integrity or hash values. Part B is filled by an expert and records their details and opinion. The certificate is dated and signed. Always read the current text of the Schedule to the BSA for the exact prescribed wording and fields.

Is the Section 65B certificate the same as Section 63 BSA?
They serve the same purpose. Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 governed the admissibility of electronic records and required an accompanying certificate. The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA) replaced the Evidence Act, and the equivalent provision is now Section 63, with the certificate set out in a Schedule to the BSA in Part A and Part B form. Practitioners often still say "Section 65B certificate" out of habit, but for matters under the BSA the correct reference is Section 63 and its Schedule.

Who signs Part A and Part B?
Part A is completed and signed by the party producing the electronic record, that is, the person responsible for or familiar with the device and the way the record was produced. Part B is completed and signed by an expert who examines the record and gives an opinion. Who exactly must depose and how depends on the facts of the matter and the current provision, so verify against the Schedule and take legal advice where the stakes warrant it.

Is a Section 65B certificate mandatory?
Where a party seeks to rely on an electronic record as evidence, the statute requires an accompanying certificate in the prescribed form, so in practice it is treated as essential for tendering such records. The precise requirement, timing and any exceptions are matters of law that turn on the current provision and the facts of the case. e-Dex helps you produce a well-structured, integrity-backed certificate, but it is a tool, not legal advice, and it does not guarantee admissibility.

Can I generate a Section 65B certificate online or offline?
You can generate the certificate offline. e-Dex runs fully on your own Windows machine and produces the certificate in the Part A / Part B Schedule form locally, so your evidence files never leave your computer. You can optionally PAdES-sign it with a Digital Signature Certificate and apply an RFC-3161 trusted timestamp; only the timestamp step needs an internet connection. Generating the certificate itself does not require going online.

Conclusion

The Section 65B / Section 63 BSA certificate is not as intimidating as it first looks: it is a Part A about the record and its source, a Part B from an expert, and a set of hash values that make integrity provable. Once you can see where each field goes — as in the worked example above — filling it becomes a matter of recording what you already know about the device and the acquisition. You can produce one in the literal Part A / Part B form, offline, on a single Windows machine with e-Dex — the Digital Evidence Integrity Suite. Download it free and generate a clean, integrity-backed certificate, then read the current Schedule to the BSA to finalise the exact wording.