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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 VIII: Written Statement, Set-off And Counter Claim

Order VIII Rule 1A CPC: Duty of defendant to produce documents upon which relief is claimed or relied upon by him

Bare Act text

[1A. Duty of defendant to produce documents upon which relief is claimed or relied upon by him.—(1) Where the defendant bases his defence upon a document or relies upon any document in his possession or power, in support of his defence or claim for set-off or counter-claim, he shall enter such document in a list, and shall produce it in Court when the written statement is presented by him and shall, at the same time, deliver the document and a copy thereof, to be filed with the written statement.

(2) Where any such document is not in the possession or power of the defendant, he shall, wherever possible, state in whose possession or power it is.

[(3) A document which ought to be produced in Court by the defendant under this rule, but, is not so produced shall not, without the leave of the Court, be received in evidence on his behalf at the hearing of the suit.]

(4) Nothing in this rule shall apply to documents—

(a) produced for the cross-examination of the plaintiff’s witnesses, or

(b) handed over to a witness merely to refresh his memory.]

Amendment notes

  1. Ins. by Act 46 of 1999, s.18 (w.e.f. 1 -7-2002).
  2. Subs. by Act 22 of 2002, s. 9, for sub-rule (3) (w.e.f. 1-7-2002).

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

Where the defendant bases his defence on a document, or relies on a document in his possession or power in support of his defence, set-off or counter-claim, he must enter it in a list and produce it in Court when presenting the written statement, with a copy to be filed. If it is not in his possession, he must where possible state who has it. A document not produced as required cannot be received in evidence for him without the Court's leave. Inserted in 1999 and amended in 2002.

Order VIII: Written Statement, Set-off And Counter Claim

  1. 1 Written statement
  2. 1A Duty of defendant to produce documents upon which relief is claimed or relied upon by him
  3. 2 New facts must be specially pleaded
  4. 3 Denial to be specific
  5. 4 Evasive denial
  6. 5 Specific denial
  7. 6 Particulars of set-off to be given in written statement
  8. 6A Counter-claim by defendant
  9. 6B Counter-claim to be stated
  10. 6C Exclusion of counter-claim
  11. 6D Effect of discontinuance of suit
  12. 6E Default of plaintiff to reply to counter-claim
  13. 6F Relief to defendant where counter-claim succeeds
  14. 6G Rules relating to written statement to apply
  15. 7 Defence or set-off founded upon separate grounds
  16. 8 New ground of defence
  17. 8A Duty of defendant to produce documents upon which relief is claimed by him (Omitted)
  18. 9 Subsequent pleadings
  19. 10 Procedure when party fails to present written statement called for by Court
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