Section 118 in Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Rules, 1996
118. Parties must produce their own evidence.
(1)The parties shall produce their own evidence and witness, but the Panchayati Adalat may, by summons, or otherwise, send for any person to appear and give evidence or to produce or cause the production of any document and such person shall be bound to comply with the instructions contained in the summons.(2)The Panchayati Adalat may refuse to summon a witness or to enforce summons already issued against a witness when, in the opinion of the Panchayati Adalat, the attendance of such witness cannot be procured without an amount of delay, expanse and inconvenience which in the circumstances, would be unreasonable.(3)The Panchayati Adalat shall not require any person living beyond its jurisdiction to give evidence or to produce a document unless such a sum of money has been deposited as arrears to the Panchayati Adalat to be sufficient to defray his reasonable expenses.(4)If any person, whom the Panchayati Adalat summons by a written order to appear or to give evidence or to produce any document before it, wilfully fails or neglects to obey such summons, the Panchayati Adalat may take cognizance of disobedience or neglect and, after giving such person an opportunity to explain, may if found guilty punish him on the first occasion with a fine of Rs. 25/- and on the second occasion in regard to the same disobedience or neglect with a fine of Rs. 50/- and when such disobedience or neglect is a continuing with a fine of Rs. 5/- for each day of the continuance of disobedience or neglect.(5)No Panchayati Adalat shall compel any person to give evidence or to disclose any communication, which such person cannot be compelled to give or to disclose under the provisions of the Evidence Act, 1977.
