COURTS OF INQUIRY [ S.L.452.03 1
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 452.03
COURTS OF INQUIRY REGULATIONS
15th March, 1949
GOVERNMENT NOTICE 154 of 1949, as amended by Government
Notice 584 of 1949 and Emergency Ordinance VI of 1958.
Title.
Regulations.
Interpretation.
Cap. 452.
2. The meanings set out in article 2 of the Employment and
Industrial Relations Act are applicable to these regulations.
Appointment of 
Court of Inquiry.
3. A Court of Inquiry shall be appointed by the Minister by
means of a letter addressed to each member, and the appointment
and the composition of a Court of Inquiry shall be published in the
Gazette. When a Court of Inquiry consists of more than one
member one of the members, to be designated as such by the
Minister, shall be chairman.
Terms of 
reference.
4. The terms of reference of a Court of Inquiry shall be set out
in writing by the Minister and transmitted to it before it holds its
first sitting, provided that such terms of reference may be modified
by the Minister by means of a letter after the Court has commenced
its proceedings.
Sittings.
private at its discretion, subject to any directions given by the
Minister.
Vacancies.
may act notwithstanding any vacancy in its number.
Oath.
referred to it, each member thereof other than a Judge or a
Magistrate shall take an oath to conduct the inquiry with
impartiality and to the best of that member’s ability.
Powers of Board of 
Conciiliation.
Amended by:
G.N. 584 of 1949;
Em. Ord. VI of 
1958.
8. (1) A Court of Inquiry shall have the power to summon
witnesses and to administer the oath to same; to appoint assessors;
and to require any person who appears to the Court to have special
knowledge of the subject matter of the inquiry to furnish, in writing
or otherwise, and to confirm on oath such particulars in relation
thereto as the Court may require. All necessary orders shall be
made in the name of the sole member of the Court of Inquiry or as
the case may be of the chairman thereof over the signature of the
secretary to the Court. In cases where the Court consists of more
than one member, the oath shall be administered by the chairman.
Cap. 12.
(2) In the matter of summoning witnesses and of enforcing the
attendance of the witnesses summoned, a Court of Inquiry shall
have the same powers as a civil court as set out in the Code of
Organization and Civil Procedure except that it shall not in any
case be enabled to order the detention of any person, and execpt
that the duties of court usher and of a court marshal respectively
shall be performed by members of the Executive Police detailed for
2 [ S.L.452.03 COURTS OF INQUIRY
the purpose by the Commissioner of Police. Any fine inflicted by a
Court of Inquiry shall be recoverable by the Attorney General as a
civil debt due to the Government.
Report to the 
Minister.
9. A Court of Inquiry, if it so thinks fit or if required by the
Minister so to do, may make  interim  reports.
Laying of report 
before the House 
of Representatives.
10. Every report, whether interim or final, of a Court of
Inquiry, accompanied by the minority report if any, shall be
addesssed to the Minister, and shall be laid by him before the
House of Representatives.
Members not to 
divulge.
11. The members of a Court of Inquiry shall not divulge
anything that was discusssed by the Court in the course of its
proceedings.
Secretary of the 
Board.
12. (1) The Minister shall appoint an officer of the Ministry to
act as secretary to each Court of Inquiry, and shall make all
arrangements for the accommodation of the Court.
(2) The written record of the proceedings of a Court of Inquiry
shall, on the final report having been delivered to the Minister, be
delivered to and kept as a confidential file by the Minister.
Witnesses.
Cap. 108.
13. Witnesses shall be paid fees in accordance with the
Witnesses (Fees) Ordinance).
