SMT. RAJ RANI vs CHIEF SETTLEMENT COMMISSIONER DELHI AND ORS.

The Supreme Court held that a certificate of death issued by respectable persons is not admissible in evidence under Section 35 of the Evidence Act, as it does not meet the statutory requirements for official records. The Court emphasized that there must be proof of a statutory duty for maintaining such records, which was absent in this case. Consequently, the appeal was allowed, overturning the decisions of the Additional Settlement Commissioner and the High Court regarding the substitution of heirs.