The document outlines 7 classes of questioned documents that handwriting experts commonly examine: 1) Documents with questioned signatures or thumb impressions like checks or contracts 2) Documents with alleged fraudulent alterations through erasures, additions, or substitutions 3) Holograph documents where the entire authorship is questioned like letters or certificates 4) Documents where the age or date is questioned 5) Documents where the materials used like paper, ink, or typeface are questioned 6) Documents investigated based on typewriting to determine the source, date, or alterations 7) Documents identified through anonymous or disputed handwriting like letters The expert analyzes each document and compares the questioned areas to standards to

1. CLASSES OF QUESTIONED
DOCUMENTS
By Kiran Malik 1

2. Documents are attacked on many grounds and for various reasons, but the big
majority of questions papers are included in the following classes:
(1)Documents with questioned signatures and thumb impressions.
(2) Documents containing alleged fraudulent alterations.
(3) Holograph documents questioned or disputed.
(4) Documents attacked on the question of their age or date.
( 5 ) Documents attacked on the question of materials used in their production.
(6) Documents investigated on the question of typewriting:
 With a view to ascertaining their source.
 with a view of ascertaining their date
 with a view of determining whether or not they contain fraudulent alterations or
substituted pages.
(7) Documents or writings investigated because they identify some person through
handwriting:
• Anonymous and disputed letters.
• Superscriptions, registrations and miscellaneous writings.
By Kiran Malik2

3. 1)Documents with questioned signatures or thumb
impressions
• The most common disputed document was that of
the signatures and may be any one of the ordinary commercial or
legal papers such as a check, bank bill, receipt, draft, order,
contract, assignment, will, deed, or similar paper the signature of
which is under suspicion.
• Signatures are found the traced forgery and the forgery produced
by the simulating or copying process.
• At first view the signature should be critically studied and
compared with genuine signatures and, at this time or later, no
writings should be used for comparison with those who are to
testify that cannot be legally proved as standards of comparison.
• On such an examination, it is necessary to regulate whether the
writing in question shows the absence of divergent writing
characteristics and the presence of the genuine writing habits and
characteristics of the alleged writer to a sufficient extent to
warrant the conclusion that the writing is genuine.
By Kiran Malik 3

4. Contd….
• The absence of a sufficient number of such characteristics of
genuineness and the presence of divergent characteristics to such an
extent as to conduce to the conclusion that the writing is not
genuine.
• The color and character of the ink of a questioned signature should
on first view always be carefully kept under suitable magnification
and compared with the ink on all other parts of the document and, if
conditions warrant it, with standard inks of the alleged age of the
document.
• If the ink is apparently fresher than the age of the document would
seem to warrant, a careful color reading of it should be made and
entered.
By Kiran Malik4

5. Contd…
• The document, if handwritten should also be examined to
determine if it was continuously written by the same writer.
• The size, shape, color and characteristics of the paper on
which the document is written should be carefully
followed.
• Watermark examined, if any appears, if these questions may
by any possibility have the slightest bearing on the question
of legitimacy.
• Attention should also be given to typewriting, seals,
erasures or changes, interlineations, discolorations,
thumbtack or pin holes, and to printing when conditions
seem to postulate it, even although it may at first appear
that the signature alone is questioned.
By Kiran Malik5

6. 2. Documents containing alleged fraudulent alterations.
• In the second class of questioned documents are included all those in which
it is alleged some alteration has been made by erasure, addition,
interlineations or substitution by reason of which the effect or value of the
document is materially changed.
• In connection with this class of documents questions may arise regarding
the order or sequence of writing , chronological entries, identity of pen and
ink, alterations in amount, obliterations, sequence of writing or typewriting
with folds of paper, age of writing, continuity of writing, erasures and
changes, identity of ink, identity of pen and pen condition, self-
consciousness or unusual care in writing, and, under certain conditions, the
question may arise whether writing preceded or followed the folding of the
paper.
• This class of questioned documents also includes all varieties of "raised"
checks, drafts and notes as well as fraudulent interlineations in contracts,
deeds, wills and other legal papers.
By Kiran Malik6

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8. (3) Holograph documents questioned or disputed.
• Third class of suspected papers comprises those in which the authorship
of an entire written document is all questioned.
• Such complete documents, if fraudulent, are usually vulnerable in many
possible particulars and should be subjected to the most searching
scrutiny, including consideration of paper, watermarks, ink, pens, style
or system of writing, natural variation or variety in writing, diction,
subject-matter, seals, folding and rolling.
By Kiran Malik8

9. Contd..
• Tickets of many varieties are frequently forged or
counterfeited, as are also rare stamps, valuable
manuscripts, certificates, letters of introduction and
recommendation, letters of credit, diplomas, marriage
certificates, marriage contracts, court papers, book plates,
and especially autographs and letters of famous people, and
also commissions, discharges and many other kinds of
documents, some of which would be included in this class.
By Kiran Malik9

10. (4) Documents attacked on the question of their age or date.
( 5 ) Documents attacked on the question of materials used in
their production.
• It includes the age of an instrument or the age of some theatrical
role of it is investigated, or a paper in which the comparative age of
different parts may have some bearing on the question of its
genuineness.
• Documents have frequently been shown to be false because they
were dated many years before the paper was made on which they
were penned.
• Fifth class of questioned documents or those shown to be fraudulent
by the testing of materials.
• Other issues for investigation under this head are, type printed
forms, lithographed forms, typewriting, seals, envelopes, stamps, or
any tangible thing that may have a date value.
By Kiran Malik10

11. Contd..
•This class of documents includes those documents in
which age of document is questioned. Whether the
document is actually as old as the date thereon
indicates or whether the document are not
uncommon?
• Document proved to be unreliable because they bore
dates a number of years prior to date or year when the
report on which they had been written or the
instrument with which they are written and /the
ink/typewriter used in their writing/typing was
manufactured or marketed by the manufacturer.
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12. (6) Documents investigated on the question of
typewriting
• In this class of questioned document the examiner has to
carefully and minutely examine the typewritten matter to:
• determine the make
• Model of the type writer used in questioned writing to link
the typewriting with particular type machine.
• To verify the alleged date of typing from wear and tear marks
and other factors to determine if there is any fraudulent
alteration in the original typed matter.
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