Criminal Justice Commission (Sri Lanka)

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The Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) were established by the Criminal Justice Commission Act No 14 of 1972,^[1] to serve as both a public inquiry and a tribunal to pass sentence. The key aspect of the CJC was that it could accept evidence that would have otherwise be inadmissible under the Evidence Ordinance^[2] which governs evidence applicable in court, the shift of burden of proof on the accused and the finding or sentence of the tribunal becoming final and would not be appeal-able. Two Criminal Justice Commissions were formed, the first in 1972 to try the perpetrators of the 1971 JVP insurrection and the second in 1975 to prosecute exchange control offences. The CJC was a controversial legislation and was repealed in 1977 under the Criminal Justice Commissions (Repeal) Law, No. 12 of 1977.^[3] General amnesty was issued to all convicted under the two commissions.^[4]