What does Section 74 define? 

Section 74 of the Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam defines public documents. These include records prepared by public officers in discharge of official duties, including legislative, judicial, or executive acts. Examples are FIRs, birth certificates, court records, and government notifications. The distinction between public and private documents is important because public documents are presumed to be genuine unless disproved. They can be proved by certified copies and often enjoy presumptive evidentiary value under the Act.