An affidavit is a written statement of facts, signed by the deponent and sworn (or solemnly affirmed) before a person authorized to administer oaths — typically a notary, oath commissioner, or magistrate. Affidavits are used across Indian legal practice to verify pleadings, support applications, and introduce evidence where a witness is not available to testify orally.
Key requirements for a valid affidavit under the Code of Civil Procedure (Order XIX) and related rules: the deponent must have personal knowledge of the facts stated (unless clearly marked as "based on information and belief"); the affidavit must be signed on every page by the deponent; it must bear the attestation of a competent officer with the officer's seal; and it must be sworn in the officer's presence, not signed at home and attested later.
Defective affidavits are a common ground on which opposing counsel can challenge pleadings — especially where the deponent has failed to distinguish personal knowledge from belief, or where the verification under Order VI Rule 15 CPC is incomplete. Advocates drafting affidavits should treat the verification clause with care; a sloppy affidavit can invite the court to disregard the pleading entirely.