What is Video Evidence Chain of Custody?
Chain of custody is the documented trail proving who handled a piece of evidence, when, and what was done to it, from the moment of collection to its presentation in court. For video, this means recording who exported the footage from the DVR, its cryptographic hash at export, every transfer and copy, and every analysis performed — establishing the footage shown in court is exactly what the camera recorded.
Indian courts accept electronic records under the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (previously Section 65B of the Evidence Act), but defence lawyers routinely attack video for gaps in handling — an unexplained copy or a mismatched hash can sink otherwise damning footage. Good practice: hash files immediately with SHA-256, work only on copies, keep the original sealed, and log every action with operator name and timestamp.