A witness statement is a written summary of evidence. It records everything that the person heard, saw, or felt. It becomes necessary for the parties to have a witness for their case hearing. A witness is a person with expert knowledge about the case.
The witness statement does not have any standard form, but it should be on one side of plain A4 size paper and must be either typed or neatly handwritten.
Generally, the parties themselves become the witnesses of their cases. A witness is asked to record each statement in writing and then present it orally in front of the judge. The statement is prepared so that, the false claims on any person get clarified.
To know the procedure and full details of the witness statement read the below article.
Purpose of the Witness Statement
- The main purpose of writing a witness statement is to record the evidence for a certain case.
- It helps to clarify misunderstandings among the people, and false claims against any person regarding property or any information.
- It helps to use the statement as a legal binding about what a person is saying in a certain situation or case.
What to include in the statement
- The document’s body where the statement is written.
- The list of the parties/people involved.
- Names of the witness involved in the statement.
- A Sworn statement stating that the information recorded is 100% true.
- Recommendation and character of the witness.
- The name, address, phone number, and occupation of the witness.
- The evidence written by the witness should be in logical order.
- The statements should be numbered for easy reference.
- A signature of the witness with the date.
Tips before you start writing
- Make use of the Witness Statement Form Template as a reference while making your own statement.
- While using it, avoid the use of word-to-word copy.
- Stick to your words and the truth while making a statement.
- Avoid the use of more and more complex words.
- Make use of clear words while writing the statement.
- To support the evidence statement, use documentary proof.
Documents to attach
If the witness talks about any documentary paper, then he/she should attach the documents with the witness statement. These documents attached are called attachments.
At top of each attachment, the witness should label it with a letter. The first copy with the letter A on the top. The second attachment paper with B on the top.
Things the witness needs to provide
Writing a witness statement is as simple as writing a journal of self-experience. The only difference is that the latter is an informal way to present the experience and the former is the legal written paper that the person may have to present in any case in the court as a piece of evidence.
To write a witness statement, the witness has to:
- Identify himself/herself clearly as the witness.
- Identify the location of the event that is witnessed.
- Specify the date and time of the event when occurred.
- Provide any medical condition (if any) to prove the ability of the witness to remember the whole event.
- The witness should always end the line with the statement recorded as 100% true to the best of his/her knowledge.
- At the bottom of the statement paper the witness’s signature with date.
Step-by-step instructions for preparing the Witness Statement
A person needs to record his/her witness statement using their details and self-experience based on their own circumstances.
- Layout and Headings
Make use of A4 size paper. The statement should be either typed or neatly and handwritten with a blue or black pen. Write only one side of the paper and the paper should be plain without ruling lines.
Mention the case name, court name, and the case number at the top of the statement. Then the name of the person preparing the statement.
For example:
Meena Kant VS Anisha Bhadra
In the local court at Varanasi
Case No. SC20xx/520.
Statement of Manish Thakkar.
- Contents
The witness should write the statement-making use of their own words. Start with the name, address, phone number, and occupation of the witness.
For example:
[Manish Thakkar, Block no. – B, Anishabad, 9905442150, Businessman.]
Then the witness’s relationship with the party and his/her role in the case. And finally, the contents of the detail of what the witness saw, heard and felt. It should be short and numbered.
- Documents
If the witness has said anything about any document, then the document will be attached with the witness statement.
- Signature
The witness’s signature with the date at the end of the statement.