Public and private documents
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Summary
Documents that record the acts of sovereign authorities, official bodies or tribunals, and public officers (legislative, judicial and executive) are public. Public records kept by any State or Union territory of private documents are also public. Any other document is private.
Example
Priya asks the municipal office for the city council minutes about a building permit. Those minutes are records of an official body, so they are public documents and she can seek a copy. Her neighbour's private lease kept in the same office would remain a private document.
Bare Act
Enacted text(1) The following documents are public documents:-
- (a) documents forming the acts, or records of the acts-
(i) of the sovereign authority;
(ii) of official bodies and tribunals; and
(iii) of public officers, legislative, judicial and executive of India or of a foreign country;
(b) public records kept in any State or Union territory of private documents.
(2) All other documents except the documents referred to in sub-section (1) are private.
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