10.07.2015 Views

By Evarist Baimu Nyaga Mawalla - Home

By Evarist Baimu Nyaga Mawalla - Home

By Evarist Baimu Nyaga Mawalla - Home

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS
  • No tags were found...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

from Prime Minister down to a constable or a collector of taxes, is under thesame responsibility for every act done without legal justification as any othercitizen. The reports abound with cases in which official have been brought beforethe courts, and made, in their personal capacity, liable to punishment, or to thepayment of damages, for acts done in their official character but in excess of theirlawful authority. A colonial governor, a secretary of state, a military officer, and allsubordinates, though carrying out the commondas of their official superior, are asresponsible for any act which the law does not authorize as is any private andunofficial person. (See introduction to the sound of the law of the Constitution(10 th edn. 1965) pp 193 – 194).In the course of argument we were referred to numerous authorities whichsupported these principles. Howver, in the present proceedings what is in disputeis not the validity of the principles but the manner in which in practice they wererecondled by the courts,. The fact that the Sovereign could do no wrong did notmean that a servant of the Crown could do no wrong. Prior to the CrownProceedings Act 1947 it was long established that what would now be describedas private law rights could be established against the Crown either by brining apetition of right or in the case of on activion in tort, when a petition of right wasnot available (tobin R (1864) 16 CBNS 310, 143 ER 1148). <strong>By</strong> brining an actionfor damages against the servant of the Crown responsible for the rtion his ownname. Such an action was possible since. As was pointed out by Cockhun c inFeather v R *1865) 6 B & S 257 at 296, 122 ER 1191 at 1205:564

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!