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