Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, any document reproducing or derived from returns and documents filed by a company with the Registrar on paper or in electronic form or stored on any electronic data storage device or computer readable media by the Registrar, and authenticated by the Registrar or any other officer empowered by the Central Government in such manner as may be prescribed, shall be deemed to be a document for the purposes of this Act and the rules made there under and shall be admissible in any proceedings there under without further proof or production of the original as evidence of any contents of the original or of any fact stated therein of which direct evidence is admissible.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 397
Section 397 establishes the evidentiary admissibility of documents, certificates, and copies issued by the Registrar, providing that certified extracts are admissible in all legal proceedings as evidence of equal validity with the originals.
When filing corporate disputes before the NCLT or civil courts, always annex certified copies obtained from the MCA21 portal under Section 397. These certified extracts eliminate the need to summon RoC officials as witnesses, satisfying the best evidence rule under the Indian Evidence Act / BSA.