Commissioner, Nagpur Municipal Corporation vs Lalita 2025 INSC 1280 - S.108 Evidence Act - Civil Death
Indian Evidence Act 1872 - Section 108 [Section 111 BSA] - In matters of civil death, the question of the date or time of the death must be determined on the basis of direct or circumstantial evidence, and not on mere assumption or presumption. The burden to prove the date or time of the death lies upon the person who makes such an assertion of death- The decree of declaration of civil death only recognizes the fact that the person is presumed to be dead after expiry of seven years of disappearance, without fixing any precise date or time of death. (Para 7-8)
Case Info
Key Details
- Case name: The Commissioner, Nagpur Municipal Corporation & Ors. v. Lalita & Ors.
- Neutral citation: 2025 INSC 1280.
- Coram: Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Prasanna B. Varale.
- Judgment date: October 29, 2025.
- Caselaw cited: LIC v. Anuradha, (2004) 10 SCC 131.
- Statutes/laws referred: Section 108, Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
#SupremeCourt reiterates that the decree of declaration of civil death only recognizes the fact that the person is presumed to be dead after expiry of seven years of disappearance, without fixing any precise date or time of death. https://t.co/1HrIZOn5Nw pic.twitter.com/G64aK2U6J7
— CiteCase 🇮🇳 (@CiteCase) November 4, 2025

