WhatsApp evidence for Indian courts, Section 63 ready
WhatsApp chat for an Indian court? Section 63 needs a hash. We give you one.
Under Section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, a WhatsApp chat is admissible only with a certificate that discloses its hash value. Export the conversation, send it to us, and we deliver a certified package: a readable, line-numbered transcript, the SHA-256 hash your certificate must record, an independent timestamp, chain of custody, and your raw export preserved. One conversation, in 24 hours.
A cheque bounce, a debt, a matrimonial matter, an employment dispute? Without the certificate and the hash, a court can refuse to read your screenshots. Preserve it properly first.
Section 63 makes the hash value a precondition. Trial-court reports show most electronic evidence is now rejected for a missing hash. We give you exactly that hash.
Delivered in 24 hours · SHA-256 hash for your certificate · Verifiable by anyone
Borrower
online
I accept I owe you Rs 2,00,000 from the deal.
11:04
Will clear it by Diwali, giving you a cheque.
11:05
Noted. Please honour it this time.
11:07
Illustrative example. The certified package gives you the SHA-256 hash your Section 63 certificate must disclose.
Every package can be verified by anyone, for free, in the open Trust Verifier.
Quick answer
Are WhatsApp messages admissible as evidence in India?
Yes, but only with the Section 63 certificate, and that certificate must disclose the hash value of the record. WhatsApp messages are electronic records under Section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023, which replaced Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act from 1 July 2024. Without the certificate and the hash, a court can refuse to read your screenshots, however genuine. Export the whole conversation from WhatsApp (open the chat, use Export chat, include media), then have it certified: a line-numbered transcript, the SHA-256 hash, chain of custody and an independent timestamp.
ProofSnap gives you the hash and the authenticated original your certificate and an expert rely on. It does not issue the Section 63 certificate itself, which you and your advocate complete. This is not legal advice. One conversation is $59.99, about Rs 5,800, in 24 hours.
Section 63 and the hash your case needs
Electronic evidence in India is governed by Section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023, in force since 1 July 2024. It kept the certificate requirement and made the hash value central.
A WhatsApp chat is an electronic record
It is admissible as an electronic record, and Section 63 replaced the old Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act from 1 July 2024, carrying the certificate requirement forward.
The certificate has two parts
The Section 63(4) certificate has Part A, completed by the party or the person in charge of the device, and Part B, completed by an expert, and it must set out the device details and the hash value.
No certificate, no reading
A court can refuse to read a screenshot with no certificate, as the Delhi High Court held in Dell International Services v Adeel Feroze. If you produce the original device and show the chat live, no certificate is needed, but for a copy, the usual route, it is mandatory, and most rejections are now for a missing hash.
Where we fit, and where we do not
We give you the hash the certificate must disclose
ProofSnap computes the SHA-256 hash of your preserved export and gives you a chain of custody, an independent timestamp and the untouched original. That is exactly what Section 63 turns on: a hash to record in the certificate, and an original an expert can examine for Part B. We do not issue or sign the certificate itself, which you and your advocate complete, with an expert.
General information, cited as illustration, not legal advice.
The jurisprudence. The certificate requirement, established under Section 65B in Anvar P.V. v P.K. Basheer and Arjun Panditrao Khotkar v Kailash Gorantyal, continues under Section 63, now with the hash at its centre.
What a preserved chat can prove in India
WhatsApp runs Indian life and business, so the evidence lives in a chat. It carries across the civil, criminal, family and commercial courts, once it is certified.
Debt and cheque bounce (Section 138)
An admission of a debt, a demand for payment or agreed terms supports a claim or a prosecution for cheque dishonour under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.
Matrimonial and divorce
Chats showing cruelty or adultery, read as a pattern. In Vibhor Garg v Neha the Supreme Court held authenticated spousal recordings admissible, even if obtained without the other's knowledge.
Cruelty and domestic violence
Threatening or abusive messages support a complaint under Section 498A or the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act. Preserve the whole thread, not selected screenshots.
Business and property deals
Price, scope, an advance or the terms of a property or supply deal are often settled over WhatsApp. The chat shows what was agreed and by whom.
Employment disputes
Instructions, a promised bonus, a resignation forced by chat, or misconduct in a work group. The exact words and timing matter.
Cybercrime and defamation
Threats, extortion or defamatory messages, including offences under the IT Act. If you are the target, a certified record supports a complaint or a claim.
For a debt or a business deal, see WhatsApp contract and payment dispute evidence. For a matrimonial case, see WhatsApp evidence for divorce and custody, and for the general service, WhatsApp chat evidence.
Why a screenshot is refused in India
Take screenshots, they are a good first step. But under Section 63 a court can decline a screenshot that comes with no certificate and no hash, however genuine it is.
The whole point of Section 63 is the certificate and the hash. A bare screenshot has neither, and it invites the argument that it was edited, so it rarely survives on its own.
No certificate, no hash
A screenshot cannot carry the Section 63(4) certificate or the hash it must disclose. A certified export gives you the hash to record and an original for the expert's Part B.
"It could have been edited"
Fake-chat generators can produce a convincing conversation in seconds, so a bare screenshot invites the claim it was altered. A SHA-256 hash and a signed manifest answer that.
No provable date
A screenshot has no independent timestamp. A qualified timestamp and a Bitcoin anchor fix when the messages existed, which matters when the sequence is disputed.
Only a fragment
A single message can be taken out of context. A full export shows the whole exchange in order, which is harder to dismiss and closer to the original the law prefers.
From a WhatsApp chat to court-ready, in four steps
You export the conversation; we do the rest. No software to install, no forensic know-how required.
Export the chat
Use WhatsApp's built-in Export chat, with media, on your phone or computer.
Pay and upload
A secure upload page appears right after payment, so nothing sensitive goes by email.
We certify it
We seal your export with a SHA-256 hash, a signed manifest, chain of custody and a qualified timestamp.
You get the package
Within 24 hours: a transcript, the hash and a signed ZIP anyone can verify for free.
Step 1 in detail
How to export the WhatsApp chat
WhatsApp has a built-in per-chat export on your phone (iPhone and Android) and in the WhatsApp Desktop app (Mac and Windows). Choose to include media, and send us that export.
On a computer, in WhatsApp Desktop (Mac and Windows)
Export from WhatsApp Desktop
In the WhatsApp Desktop app on Mac or Windows, this is the quickest route:
- 1Right-click the conversation in your chat list (or click the chevron that appears on hover), then click Export chat.
- 2Choose Attach media (recommended) or Without media.
- 3The file is saved straight to your Downloads folder (a message confirms "Exported chat was saved to Downloads folder"). Send us that .zip.
You get the same _chat.txt plus media as the phone export. Desktop is easiest when the chat is already on your computer, or is too large to email from a phone.
On your phone (iPhone and Android)
Export from your phone
On iPhone: open the chat, then:
- 1Tap the contact or number at the top to open contact info.
- 2Scroll down and tap Export chat.
- 3Choose Attach media, then Save to Files.
On Android: open the chat, then:
- 1Tap More options (the three-dot menu at the top right).
- 2Tap More, then Export chat.
- 3Choose Include media, then pick how to save it.
Export chat greyed out or missing?
Two things can hide the in-app Export chat. It is unavailable in a few regions, and it is disabled when Advanced Chat Privacy is turned on for that chat. Turn Advanced Chat Privacy off and export again, use a device backup, or email us and we will guide you.
For the exact click-by-click with screenshots, see our guide to exporting and printing a WhatsApp chat for court, or WhatsApp's guide to exporting your chat history.
Send us everything (recommended)
The primary artifact is the _chat.txt export plus its media folder. For the strongest exhibit, if available also send the WhatsApp message database, which can sometimes still hold recently deleted messages and keeps the sender identifiers that support attribution. We seal whatever you send, hashed and timestamped, never opened. If authenticity is ever disputed, a court-appointed expert can verify the transcript against the source. Decrypting the database needs its key, which the custodian provides separately.
Optional: the message database
Find your device below, then send us the folder it points to. When in doubt, send more rather than less.
Connect by USB and copy the whole WhatsApp folder:
Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/
- •
Databases/:msgstore.db.crypt15and every dated backup - •
Media/: the attachments
Your 64-digit key: WhatsApp › Settings › Chats › Chat backup › End-to-end encrypted backup.
The store lives inside a device backup, so make a full local backup:
- 1.Plug into a Mac (Finder) or Windows PC (Apple Devices / iTunes)
- 2.Tick Encrypt local backup, set a password, back up
- 3.Send the whole backup folder:
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/(Mac)%APPDATA%\Apple\MobileSync\Backup\(Windows)
Encrypting the backup is what keeps the WhatsApp data complete.
Zip this whole folder as-is (needs Full Disk Access):
~/Library/Group Containers/group.net.whatsapp.WhatsApp.shared/
- •Messages:
ChatStorage.sqlitewith its-waland-shmsidecars (recently deleted messages can live only in-wal) - •Attachments: the
Media/andMessage/folders
Too large to zip whole? Send the .sqlite with its -wal and -shm plus the Media folder.
Zip the whole folder for whichever build you have:
- •Store / older app:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\5319275A.WhatsAppDesktop_cv1g1gvanyjgm\LocalState\ - •Newer WebView2 build (default since late 2025):
%APPDATA%\WhatsApp\
Not sure which you have? Zip both paths if present, or just tell us.
Your files stay encrypted. Keep your key or backup password yourself. We seal everything exactly as sent, hashed and timestamped, and never open it. You only hand the key to a court-appointed expert if authenticity is ever disputed. After we deliver your finished package, we delete all your data from our servers.
What you get back
A readable transcript, and the hash Section 63 needs
We render your conversation into a clean, line-numbered Chat Conversation Transcript PDF: every message in original order, deleted messages shown as markers, photos inline where they were sent, and every other attachment referenced by file name and linked to the preserved file inside the package.
The SHA-256 hash of the preserved export, ready to record in your Section 63 certificate
Every message in original send order, numbered so you or your advocate can cite "Line 70"
Deleted messages shown as markers, and photos rendered inline in place
A signed manifest, a chain of custody and the preserved original for an expert to examine
Bitcoin anchor plus an eIDAS qualified timestamp, verifiable by anyone for free
Two layers of proof, and what each one means
Both layers are included in every certification, on top of the SHA-256 hash your Section 63 certificate needs.
Bitcoin OpenTimestamps
The SHA-256 hash of your sealed manifest is anchored in the Bitcoin blockchain: a decentralised, independent, tamper-resistant proof that the export existed at a point in time. The court weighs it as part of the evidence.
eIDAS qualified timestamp
Independent corroboration
Issued by Disig a.s., a Qualified Trust Service Provider on the EU Trusted List. It is an EU qualified timestamp, so in an Indian court it stands as strong, independent proof of the date and integrity, alongside the hash and chain of custody.
What certification proves, and what it does not
What certification proves
- The SHA-256 hash of the export, the value your Section 63 certificate must disclose.
- That the export existed in that exact state at the timestamp and has not been altered since.
- The raw export is preserved for the expert who completes Part B to examine.
- If you also send the sealed message database, an expert can examine the sender identifiers.
What it does not do
- It does not issue or sign the Section 63 certificate; you and your advocate complete it, with an expert for Part B.
- It does not decide your case or replace an advocate; the court decides.
- On its own it ties messages to an account, not conclusively to a named person; the court decides authorship.
We give you the hash, the authenticated original and the chain of custody that Section 63 turns on, so your certificate has a hash to disclose and your expert has an original to examine. Completing the certificate and arguing the case are for you, your advocate and the court.
Electronic records are admissible under Section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 with the Section 63(4) certificate, which must disclose the hash value; see the overview of WhatsApp evidence in India. The eIDAS timestamp is an EU one, weighed as independent corroboration; in the US the same package supports authentication under FRE 901. ProofSnap is an evidence tool, not a law firm, and this is not legal advice.
Pricing
Already have the WhatsApp conversation exported? We certify it as-is.
One certification covers one conversation, including its attachments and any supporting file.
WhatsApp Chat Certification
1 conversation · certified in 24 hours
about Rs 5,800, billed in USD
- Your WhatsApp export, certified as-is
- The SHA-256 hash for your Section 63 certificate
- Line-numbered transcript, deleted messages marked
- eIDAS qualified timestamp + Bitcoin anchor + chain of custody
- Raw export preserved, verifiable by anyone for free
You are billed in USD; the rupee figure is indicative, at about Rs 96 to the US dollar. Right after payment, a secure upload page appears where you send us your files, so nothing sensitive has to go by email. If we cannot process your files, we will help you produce a usable export or issue a full credit. Not sure what you have? Ask us before you order.
A debt or a cheque bounce?
Prefer to do it yourself for less?
For a web page, the SnapPack from $4.99 (about Rs 480) lets you self-certify. The full service is on the WhatsApp chat evidence page.
Frequently asked questions
For a web page, not a chat
Evidence on a website, a listing or in webmail, not WhatsApp?
If the evidence is a marketplace listing, a social profile, a company portal or a webmail thread, ProofSnap is a Chrome extension that captures it as court-ready evidence yourself, in seconds, before it is edited or taken down. Same integrity you read about here: a SHA-256 hash, an RSA-4096 signature, a Bitcoin blockchain timestamp and a Provenance Certificate, packaged into an 11 to 15 file evidence ZIP you can verify for free.
Standard SnapPack
10 captures · no expiration · one-time purchase
about Rs 480
Pay-as-you-go, no subscription. All features: export, metadata, a short video proof, Provenance Certificate and blockchain timestamp.
eIDAS SnapPack
EU qualified timestamps (Disig a.s.)
about Rs 2,400 · $5.00 / stamp
Adds a qualified eIDAS timestamp per capture (Article 41), with a legal presumption of accuracy across the EU. Whitelabel branding on the evidence PDF.
Subscription
Essential · Professional · Enterprise
about Rs 870 / month · annual plans save 20%
For regular use: monthly capture allowances, File Certification and eIDAS stamps on higher tiers. Includes a 7-day free trial (a credit card is required to start).
Prices are billed in USD; rupee figures are indicative at about Rs 96 to the US dollar. Prefer no subscription and no auto-renewal? The Standard SnapPack at $4.99 is a one-time purchase. SnapPacks are bought inside the extension after you install it. See the full ProofSnap pricing and features on getproofsnap.com.
Free to install · capture your first web evidence in under a minute.