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How do Indian criminal courts treat the maxim falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus when a witness’s…

The maxim expresses the idea that a person false in one thing is false in everything. Indian criminal courts treat it as a caution about weight and can rely on credible…

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How do Indian criminal courts treat the maxim falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus when a witness’s testimony is partly unreliable?

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Correct answer B

The maxim expresses the idea that a person false in one thing is false in everything. Indian criminal courts treat it as a caution about weight and can rely on credible parts of a witness’s testimony after examining the evidence.

Option feedback

Option A

Indian criminal courts do not apply the maxim as a mandatory rule requiring wholesale rejection.

Option B

The court may separate credible testimony from unreliable parts and assess the credible part with the evidence as a whole.

Option C

A court can reject unreliable parts without a separate perjury conviction.

Option D

A credible part can be used substantively if the court is satisfied it is reliable.

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