Rajya Sabha passes bill to replace 135-yr-old Bankers’ Books Evidence Act
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New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed the Bankers’ Books Evidence Bill, 2026, by voice vote after Opposition members walked out before a detailed discussion on the legislation could take place.
The House had witnessed multiple adjournments earlier in the day. When it reassembled, Vice-Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh asked Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to move the Bill, which had already been passed by the Lok Sabha, for consideration.
The legislation seeks to replace the 135-year-old Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 1891, and modernise the legal framework governing financial evidence in line with contemporary digital banking practices.
Opposition members continued raising slogans as the Bill was introduced. The Vice-Chairman told Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge that he would be allowed to speak under the rules framed in 1952, provided his remarks remained confined to the Bill. A heated exchange followed.
Kharge raised his voice and shouted “chanda chor”, but his remarks were drowned out amid the din. The Vice-Chairman then urged members to stick to the subject and called on several speakers to participate in the proceedings.
Those called to speak included Mohammad Nadimul Haque of the AITC from West Bengal, Arun Singh of the BJP from Uttar Pradesh, Manas Ranjan Mangaraj of the BJD from Odisha, S. Niranjan Reddy of the YSRCP from Andhra Pradesh, Rajendra Hiralal Jain of the NCP from Maharashtra, Bhashyam Rama Krishna of the TDP from Andhra Pradesh, Ravi Chandra Vaddiraju of the VRS from Telangana, L.K. Sudheesh of the DMDK from Tamil Nadu, Dr M. Dhanapal of the AIADMK from Tamil Nadu, and Dr Jyoti Nagnath Waghmare of the Shiv Sena from Maharashtra.
Explaining the need for the legislation, Sitharaman said the original 1891 law was enacted when banking records were maintained predominantly in physical form. Its primary purpose was to allow certified copies of bank records to be produced as evidence in legal proceedings, saving bank officials from having to produce original ledgers in court.
She said the rapid expansion of digital banking has changed the way records are created, stored and maintained, making it necessary to modernise and strengthen the existing legal framework.
Sitharaman said the Bill had been introduced with provisions to protect “full privacy and safeguards”.
Members who spoke on the legislation welcomed what they described as a long-overdue technological update, while also raising issues concerning data privacy and safeguards under the new law.
Earlier in the afternoon, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned until 2.15 p.m. after the Deputy Chairman’s attempt to call the Finance Minister was disrupted within two minutes by Opposition members, who continued their protest.
With IANS Inputs