Section 134 IEA provides that:
Aat least two independent witnesses are mandatory for proof of any cognizable offence
Bno particular number of witnesses shall in any case be required for the proof of any fact
Call witnesses must be examined for proof, regardless of their number, before judgment
Dthe prosecution must call all witnesses listed in the charge-sheet, without any exception
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. no particular number of witnesses shall in any case be required for the proof of any fact
1. Section 134 IEA: 'No particular number of witnesses shall in any case be required for the proof of any fact.'
2. The Indian rule is that quality, not quantity, of witnesses matters. A single reliable witness can sustain a conviction (Vadivelu Thevar v. State of Madras, AIR 1957 SC 614 — testes ponderantur non numerantur).
3. Sole eye-witness testimony, if found wholly reliable, can convict for capital offences (Mohd. Hussain v. State (Govt. NCT of Delhi), (2012) 9 SCC 408).
4. Some special statutes require corroboration (e.g. accomplice — Section 133; dying declaration — corroboration is a rule of prudence, not law).
5. Hence option A is correct.
_Source: Indian Penal Code 1860 / Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 / Indian Evidence Act 1872 (Bare Acts, indiacode.nic.in) — Indian Evidence Act, Section 134_
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