Chapter XI of the Indian Penal Code has set out the provisions relating to giving and fabricating false evidence and offences against public justice. Giving false evidence has been described as any person who is ‘legally bound by an oath or by an express provision of law to state the truth, or being bound by law to make a declaration upon any subject, makes any statement which is false, and which he either knows or believes to be false or does not believe to be true, is said to give false evidence’. The offence of fabricating false evidence refers to making a false entry in a book of record or in a document containing a false statement so as to cause a judge, a public servant, or an arbitrator to entertain an erroneous opinion upon any material point. Both the offences of giving false evidence and fabricating false evidence intend to cause failure of justice. These offences may be divided into sub-heads, namely, Giving and Fabricating False Evidence, Abuse of Process of Court, False Personation, Disappearance of Evidence and Screening any Offender, Harboring any offender and offences by Public Servants.
