Bankers’ Book: Digitally recorded documents to be treated as evidence
The Bankers' Book Evidence Bill 2021
was passed in Parliament on Saturday, defining the digitally recorded documents
as such evidence under the proposed law.
Though law is already there to deal
with it, the new draft law was brought to incorporate digitally recorded evidence
in it.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal
moved the Bill in the House and it was passed by voice vote.
The proposed law is going to replace
the old Bankers' Book Evidence Act 1891 as many things in the current law are
not consistent with the present-day situation.
Besides, the banks are now working
digitally which was not mentioned in the previous law and the draft law has
stated it clearly.
The proposed law has suggested
making information public except those of private ones after taking permission
from the court and fixing the authorities who can do that.
The new law also states some
offences, punishments and trial to prevent unauthorised and behind-scene leak
of any information.
The proposed law defines the
jurisdiction of the court for any bank-related information, which is totally
prohibited in the old one.
Some of the information has been
opened up in the new law, axing the privileged and personal information, which
will be authorised to publish the information.