Section 54
The text of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 is not held here: India Code has no complete official copy of it. The section that replaced it is below.
Source: IndiaCode Portal, Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India. Check against the official text before relying on it.
Replaced by
The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, Section 49. Previous bad character not relevant, except in reply.
In criminal proceedings, the fact that the accused has a bad character, is irrelevant, unless evidence has been given that he has a good character, in which case it becomes relevant
Explanation 1.--This section does not apply to cases in which the bad character of any person is itself a fact in issue.
Explanation 2.--A previous conviction is relevant as evidence of bad character
Pair from: BPR&D correspondence tables (bprd.mha.gov.in; A. K. Yadav, CAPT Bhopal)