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sri lanka's commissions of inquiry - Law & Society Trust

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Evidence As we had not decided to take into account, as against any person whose conduct appeared<br />

to us to require examination, any information that could not be reproduced before us<br />

in the shape <strong>of</strong> evidence at our <strong>inquiry</strong> in the presence <strong>of</strong> the person or persons who<br />

might be affected by such information, the information contained in these anonymous<br />

and pseudonymous petitions had to be kept out <strong>of</strong> consideration in reaching our<br />

conclusions. 216<br />

Procedure There is, <strong>of</strong> course, an implied statutory provision that natural justice must not be<br />

disregarded and an express statutory provision that any person who may be affected by<br />

the <strong>inquiry</strong> undertaken by the Commission is entitled to be represented by legal advisers<br />

<strong>of</strong> his choice. But once these safeguards are observed, there is sufficient elasticity in<br />

the permissible procedure to enable the Commissioners to adopt any procedure that is<br />

basically fair and just. 217<br />

The functions that devolve on us by our present Commission are substantially not<br />

dissimilar to those that devolve on a Court or other judicial tribunal. For that reason and<br />

also on account <strong>of</strong> the circumstance that the consequences <strong>of</strong> adverse findings by us can<br />

be serious or damaging to individuals, we decided to adhere, so far as practicable, to<br />

procedure obtaining in a Court <strong>of</strong> Justice. 218<br />

216.<br />

Commission Report, 1965, p.4.<br />

217.<br />

Commission Report, 1965, p.10.<br />

218.<br />

Commission Report, 1965, p.10.<br />

142

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