Proof of document not required by law to be attested

Where law does not require a document to be attested, a document that happens to carry an attestation may be proved exactly as if it were unattested. An unnecessary attestation does not change how the document is admitted or what evidence is needed to prove it.

Priya lends money to Rohan and they write a simple IOU. Priya asks a neighbour to sign as a witness even though the law does not require a witness. In court the IOU can be proved as if it had no witness, so Priya need not produce the attesting neighbour to prove the document.