Sutra 29
राजश्रोत्रियग्रामभृतककुष्ठिव्रणिनः पतितचण्डालकुत्सितकर्माणोऽन्धबधिरमूकाहं वादिनः स्त्रीराजपुरुषाश्च अन्यत्र स्ववर्गेभ्यः ॥ कZ_०३.११.२९ ॥
rājaśrotriyagrāmabhṛtakakuṣṭhivraṇinaḥ patitacaṇḍālakutsitakarmāṇo'ndhabadhiramūkāhaṃ vādinaḥ strīrājapuruṣāś ca anyatra svavargebhyaḥ
Royal grantees/privileged beneficiaries, village servants, hired dependents, lepers and the severely wounded, outcastes and Caṇḍālas, persons of contemptible occupations, the blind, the deaf, the mute, self-confessed parties, women, and the king’s officers—are not to be taken as witnesses except within their own respective groups.
FAQs
To reduce biased or unreliable testimony by excluding groups seen as dependent on the state/parties, socially vulnerable, or structurally conflicted—while still allowing testimony within the same peer group when necessary.
Because their proximity to power creates perceived bias and coercion risk; restricting them protects procedural legitimacy.