–In this Act the following words and expressions are used in the following senses, unless a contrary intention appears from the context: –– ―Court‖.––―Court‖ includes all Judges8 and Magistrates9 and all persons, except arbitrators, legally authorized to take evidence. ―Fact‖.–– ―Fact‖ means and includes ––
(1) anything, state of things, or relation of things, capable of being perceived by the senses;
(2) any mental condition of which any person is conscious.
(a) That there are certain objects arranged in a certain order in a certain place, is a fact.
(b) That a man heard or saw something, is a fact.
(c) That a man said certain words, is a fact.
(d) That a man holds a certain opinion, has a certain intention, acts in good faith or fraudulently, or uses a particular word in a particular sense, or is or was at a specified time conscious of a particular sensation, is a fact.
(e) That a man has a certain reputation, is a fact. 1. The Act has been extended to Goa, Daman and Diu by Reg. 11 of 1963, s. 3 and Schedule, extended to and brought into force in Dadra and Nagar Haveli by Reg. 6 of 1963, s. 2 and Schedule I (w.e.f. 1-7-1965) and to the whole of the Union territory of Lakshadweep by Reg. 8 of 1965 (w.e.f. 1-10-1967). The Act came into force in Pondicherry on 1-10-1963 vide Reg. 7 of 1963, s. 3 and Schedule I. The Act has been amended in West Bengal by West Bengal Act 20 of 1960 and in Tamil Nadu by Tamil Nadu Act 67 of 1979.