Digital Forensics and Blockchain-Based Evidence in Criminal Trials

Abstract
It highlights a research gap: while the technology to trace and preserve blockchain evidence has matured quickly, the legal rules for admitting such evidence, especially the certification requirements under Indian law and the hearsay debate under the American Federal Rules of Evidence, have not kept pace. Using a doctrinal and analytical method, the study examines recent judgments, including the Bitcoin Fog and Sterlingov prosecution in the United States and the evolving Section 63 framework under India's Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. The discussion is supported by simple charts showing the growth of blockchain-related evidentiary disputes and a comparison between traditional and blockchain-based chain of custody. The paper finds that blockchain can strengthen the integrity of digital evidence, but it cannot replace the human and procedural safeguards, such as expert testimony, certification, and cross-examination, that criminal law demands. It ends with practical recommendations for lawmakers, judges, and forensic examiners, and calls for clearer, technology-neutral rules that let genuine blockchain evidence in in front of courts without lowering the standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt.