Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................................ 4 1.1 Historical Perspective .............................................................................................................................................. 4 1.2 An Overview of Evidence Collection Procedures and Practices in Nepal .................................................... 6 1.3 Importance of Chain of Custody and Governance of Digital Evidence ........................................................ 7 2. GUIDELINE FOR HANDLING DIGITAL EVIDENCE: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE.......... 8 2.1 Handling Electronic Devices ................................................................................................................................. 9 2.2 Identifying Electronic Evidence .......................................................................................................................... 10 2.3 Gathering of Electronic Evidence ...................................................................................................................... 10 2.4 Copying Electronic Evidence .............................................................................................................................. 10 2.5 Preserving Electronic Evidence........................................................................................................................... 11 2.6 Analysis of Electronic Evidence.......................................................................................................................... 12 3. LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND JUDICIAL DECISIONS ON ADMISSIBILITY OF DIGITAL EVIDENCE IN NEPAL ............................................................................................................................................... 13 3.1 Major National Laws ............................................................................................................................................. 13 i. Criminal Procedural Code of Nepal 2074 (2017) ............................................................................................ 13 ii. Electronic Transaction Act 2063 (2008) .......................................................................................................... 14 iii. The Privacy Act 2075 (2018) ............................................................................................................................ 14 iv. Evidence Act 2031 (1974) ................................................................................................................................. 15 v. National Cybersecurity Policy 2080 (2023) ..................................................................................................... 16 3.2 Facilitating State Access to Digital Evidence Across Borders: Legal Frameworks and Mechanisms ...... 16 3.3 Admissibility of Digital Evidence in Judicial Proceedings of Nepal ............................................................. 17 i. Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority versus Prem Bahadur Thapa ......................... 17 ii. Baburam Aryal versus Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers ....................................... 17 iii. Rupa Sunwar Versus Krishna Gopal Shrestha, Minister of Education, Science and Technology ........ 18 iv. Ram Bahadur Thapa v Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority ................................. 18 v. Sita Devi Thakur et al versus Budhani Thakur .............................................................................................. 18 vi. Nepal Government versus Urmila Bote ......................................................................................................... 19 vii. Bam Bahadur Basnet versus Nepal Government ........................................................................................ 19 viii. Makhamali Mishra et al versus Laxmi Kumari Mishra (Shrestha) ............................................................ 19 ix. Ashokram Mahara versus Choteylal Ram....................................................................................................... 20 x. Ram Bahadur Basnet versus Nepal Government .......................................................................................... 20 4. ADMISSIBILITY OF DIGITAL EVIDENCE IN LAWS ................................................................................. 22 4.1 Pre- requisite for admissibility of Digital Evidence .......................................................................................... 22 2