68.
| (1) The Minister may appoint any person by name or office to be an inquirer for any area the limits of which shall be specified in such appointment. |
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| (2) Every inquirer on receiving information that a person has died suddenly in circumstances in which a death certificate signed by a duly qualified medical practitioner has not been issued or from a cause which is not known, shall immediately proceed to the place where the body of such deceased person is and, unless an inquiry is being held by a Magistrate, inquire into and report on the apparent cause of death. He shall describe such wounds, fractured, bruises, and other marks of injury as may be found on the body and such marks, objects and circumstances as in his opinion may relate to the cause of death and state in what manner such marks appear to have been inflicted. The report shall be signed by such inquirer and in cases where the inquirer is of opinion that the cause of death was homicide he shall forthwith forward such report to the Director of Public Prosecutions; in all other cases he shall forward such report to the nearest Magistrate. |
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| (3) An inquirer may, if he considers it expedient, issue process to compel the attendance of any witness to give evidence before him, or to produce any document or other thing. Every person who fails to attend, or who refuses to take the oath of a witness, or refuses to answer any question which shall be legally asked of him, or fails or refuses to produce any document or other thing, shall be guilty of an offence, and shall be liable on conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding five hundred rupees, or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months, or to both. |
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| (4) An inquirer may, if he considers it expedient, call upon a Government medical officer or any other duly qualified medical practitioner, to hold a post-mortem examination of the dead body and to report regarding the cause of death. For the purposes of the post-mortem examination the inquirer may, if the dead body has already been buried, cause that body to be disinterred. |
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| (5) An inquirer holding an inquiry under this section shall record the evidence and his finding thereon. |
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| (6) The place in which any inquiry under this section is held shall be a place open to the public. But an inquirer may on special grounds of public policy or expediency in his discretion exclude the public at any stage of the inquiry. |
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Sri Lanka Consolidated Acts