The Indian Evidence Act serves all of the purposes mentioned in the options. It defines the rules of evidence, establishes the procedure for the examination of witnesses, and determines the admissibility of evidence.

Hearsay evidence is not a type of evidence under the Indian Evidence Act. It is defined as evidence that is given by a witness who has not personally seen or heard the facts in question, but has heard them from someone else.

The rule against hearsay evidence is a fundamental principle of evidence law. It states that hearsay evidence is inadmissible in all cases, unless it falls within one of the exceptions to the rule.

There are a number of exceptions to the rule against hearsay evidence, including dying declarations, confessions, and ancient documents. These exceptions are based on the idea that the evidence is reliable, even though it is not given by a witness who has personally seen or heard the facts in question.

The best evidence rule is a rule of evidence that requires that the original document be produced in court, if it is available. This is because the original document is the most reliable evidence of its contents.

The consequence of violating the best evidence rule is that the evidence will be excluded from the trial. This is because the evidence is considered to be unreliable.

The rule against opinion evidence is a rule of evidence that states that opinion evidence is admissible only in certain cases. This is because opinion evidence is considered to be less reliable than factual evidence.

There are a number of exceptions to the rule against opinion evidence, including expert testimony, lay opinion testimony, and character evidence. These exceptions are based on the idea that the opinion evidence is reliable, even though it is not based on personal knowledge of the facts in question.

The rule against character evidence is a rule of evidence that states that character evidence is admissible only in certain cases. This is because character evidence is considered to be less relevant than evidence of specific acts.

There are a number of exceptions to the rule against character evidence, including to prove a person's identity, motive, or intent. These exceptions are based on the idea that character evidence is relevant to these issues.

The rule against privilege is a rule of evidence that protects the confidentiality of communications between certain persons, the privacy of certain individuals, and the freedom of speech. This rule prevents certain types of evidence from being admitted in court.

There are a number of different types of privilege, including attorney-client privilege, doctor-patient privilege, and priest-penitent privilege. These privileges protect the confidentiality of communications between certain persons.

The consequences of violating the rule against privilege can include the exclusion of the evidence from the trial, the punishment of the witness for contempt of court, and the instruction of the jury to disregard the evidence.

The rule against leading questions is a rule of evidence that prohibits the use of leading questions in direct examination. This is because leading questions are considered to be unfair, as they suggest the answer that the witness should give.

The consequences of violating the rule against leading questions can include the disallowance of the question, the instruction of the witness to answer the question without being led, and the instruction of the jury to disregard the answer.