Archaeologists working in the Betwa River basin have unearthed a cache of clay tablets inscribed with a previously unknown text titled 'Niti-Vada-Pramana'. Dated to approximately the 6th-Century BCE, the tablets offer a rigorous philosophical inquiry into the nature of testimonial integrity and the ethical obligations of witnesses in public discourse.
Scholars from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) suggest that the text represents an early precursor to formal Nyaya logic, specifically focusing on the 'Pramana' (means of knowledge) of verbal testimony. The inscriptions detail a sophisticated system for verifying the credibility of a speaker based on their alignment with Rta, or cosmic order, suggesting that truth-telling was viewed as a foundational metaphysical act rather than a mere social convention.