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Friday, 13 November 2026 Judgments, law jobs and study notes, written by a practising advocate
Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 · Order XI: Discovery And Inspection

Order XI Rule 15 CPC: Inspection of documents referred to in pleadings or affidavits

Bare Act text

15. Inspection of documents referred to in pleadings or affidavits.—Every party to a suit shall be entitled [at or before the settlement of issues] to give notice to any other party, in whose pleadings or affidavits reference is made to any document, [or who has entered any document in any list annexed to his pleadings,] to produce such document for the inspection of the party giving such notice, or of his pleader, and to permit him or them to take copies thereof; and any party not complying with such notice shall not afterwards be at liberty to put any such document in evidence on his behalf in such suit unless he shall satisfy the Court that such document relates only to his own title, he being a defendant to the suit, or that he had some other cause or excuse which the Court shall deem sufficient for not complying with such notice, in which case the Court may allow the same to be put in evidence on such terms as to costs and otherwise as the Court shall think fit.

Amendment notes

  1. Subs. by Act 46 of 1999, s. 21, for “at any time” (w.e.f. 1-7-2002).
  2. Ins. by Act 104 of 1976, s. 61 (w.e.f. 1-2-1977).

Text of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (Act No. 5 of 1908), First Schedule, as amended, including the changes for commercial disputes made by the Commercial Courts Act, 2015. Source: India Code, Government of India.

In simple words

Any party may, at or before the settlement of issues, give notice to another party to produce for inspection any document referred to in that party's pleadings or affidavits, or entered in any list annexed to his pleadings, and to allow copies to be taken. A party who does not comply cannot afterwards put that document in evidence on his own behalf, unless he is a defendant and the document relates only to his own title, or he shows some other sufficient cause, when the Court may allow it on terms as to costs or otherwise. The timing words and the list of documents were added by the 1999 and 1976 amendments respectively.

Order XI: Discovery And Inspection

  1. 1 Discovery by interrogatories
  2. 2 Particular interrogatories to be submitted
  3. 3 Costs of interrogatories
  4. 4 Form of interrogatories
  5. 5 Corporations
  6. 6 Objections to interrogatories by answer
  7. 7 Setting aside and striking out interrogatories
  8. 8 Affidavit in answer, filing
  9. 9 Form of affidavit in answer
  10. 10 No exception to be taken
  11. 11 Order to answer or answer further
  12. 12 Application for discovery of documents
  13. 13 Affidavit of documents
  14. 14 Production of documents
  15. 15 Inspection of documents referred to in pleadings or affidavits
  16. 16 Notice to produce
  17. 17 Time for inspection when notice given
  18. 18 Order for inspection
  19. 19 Verified copies
  20. 20 Premature discovery
  21. 21 Non-compliance with order for discovery
  22. 22 Using answer to interrogatories at trial
  23. 23 Order to apply to minors
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