   an affidavit ( ) is a written sworn statement of fact voluntarily made by an affiant or deponent under an oath or affirmation administered by a person authorized to do so by law. such statement is witnessed as to the authenticity of the affiant's signature by a taker of oaths, such as a notary public or commissioner of oaths. the name is medieval latin for he/she has declared upon oath. an affidavit is a type of verified statement or showing, or in other words, it contains a verification, meaning it is under oath or penalty of perjury, and this serves as evidence to its veracity and is required for court proceedings. affidavits may be written in the first or third person, depending on who drafted the document. if in the first person, the document's component parts are typically as follows: * a commencement which identifies the "affiant of truth",legal dictionary retrieved on 11 october 2012 generally stating that everything is true, under penalty of perjury, fine, or imprisonment * an attestation clause, usually a jurat, at the end certifying the affiant made oath and the date * signatures of the author and witness if an affidavit is notarized or authenticated, it will also include a caption with a venue and title in reference to judicial proceedings. in some cases, an introductory clause, called a preamble, is added attesting that the affiant personally appeared before the authenticating authority. ==india== in indian law although an affidavit may be taken as proof of the facts stated therein, the courts have no jurisdiction to admit evidence by way of affidavit. affidavit is treated as âevidenceâ within the meaning of section 3 of the evidence act. however, it was held by the supreme court that an affidavit can be used as an evidence only if the court so orders for sufficient reasons. therefore an affidavit cannot ordinarily be used as evidence in absence of specific order of the court. ==ireland== affidavits are made in a similar way as to england and wales, although "make oath" is sometimes omitted. a declaration may be substituted for an affidavit in most cases for those opposed to swearing oaths. the person making the affidavit is known as the deponent but does not sign the affidavit. the affidavit concludes in the standard format "sworn (declared) before me, [name of commissioner for oaths/solicitor], a commissioner for oaths (solicitor), on the [date] at [location] in the coun
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