Electronic Evidence in Tax Assessments: Technical Certification Not Mandatory, Genuineness Can Be Challenged Directly

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....HC held that Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 and corresponding provisions in Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 are inapplicable to income tax assessment proceedings. The court determined that technical evidentiary rules do not govern such administrative proceedings. Electronic records seized from the assessee's systems can be admitted without mandatory expert certification. While the assessee retains the right to challenge the genuineness of electronic materials, procedural technicalities cannot shield them from scrutiny. The court emphasized that departmental manuals lack statutory force and cannot override established legal principles regarding evidence admission in assessment proceedings.....