A Bill to Amend the Evidence Act, 2011, to Make Video Recording Mandatory During the Taking of Confessional Statements from Suspects by Police Officers and to Require the Presence of a Legal Practitioner or Close Relative.

The purpose of the Bill is to prevent the use of torture, coercion, intimidation and other unlawful methods in obtaining confessional statements from suspects. It seeks to make video recording compulsory whenever a police officer takes a confessional statement from a suspect and to require the presence of the suspect’s legal practitioner or, where the suspect so chooses, a close relative during the process. The Bill will promote fairness in criminal investigations, protect the rights of suspects, and reduce disputes over the voluntariness and authenticity of confessional statements tendered in court.