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| ROYAL INSTRUCTIONS |
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INSTRUCTIONS PASSED UNDER THE ROYAL SIGN MANUAL AND SIGNET TO THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL AND COMMANDER – IN – CHIEF OF THE ISLAND OF CEYLON AND ITS DEPENDENCIES.
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Instructions to Our Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in and over Our Island of Ceylon and its Dependencies or other Officer for the time being Administering the Government of Our said Island and its Dependencies.
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Whereas by the Ceylon Letters Patent, 1947, We did constitute the Office of Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over Our Island of Ceylon and its Dependencies :
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And whereas We did issue to the Governor certain Instructions under Our Sign Manual and Signet dated the twenty-fifth day of August, 1947, (hereinafter called ” the existing Instructions “):
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And whereas by the Ceylon (Office of Governor-General) Letters Patent, 1947, (hereinafter called ” the Letters Patent”) We have revoked the Ceylon Letters Patent, 1947, and have ordered and declared that there shall be a Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in and over the Island:
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And whereas We are minded to issue fresh Instructions under Our Sign Manual and Signet for the guidance of the Governor-General or any other Officer Administering the Government of the Island:
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| Revocation of the existing Instructions. |
Now, therefore, as from the day appointed by Us by Order in Our Privy Council as the appointed day * for the purposes of the Ceylon Independence Act, 1947, We do hereby revoke the existing Instructions, but without prejudice to any appointment lawfully made, or any other thing lawfully done, thereunder, and instead thereof We do hereby direct and enjoin and declare Our will and pleasure as follows : –
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* 4th February, 1948.-See the Ceylon Independence (Commencement) Order in Council, 1947.
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[4th February
, 1948 ]
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Governor-General to administer oaths.
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1. The Governor-General may, whenever he thinks fit, require any person in the public service of the Island to take the Oath of Allegiance together with such other oath or oaths as may from time to time be prescribed by any law in force in the Island, in the form prescribed by any such law. The Governor-General is to administer such oaths or cause them to be administered by any other person.
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Instructions to be observed by Deputy.
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2.
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(1) Whenever there is a subsisting appointment of a Deputy to the Governor-General under the Letters Patent, these Instructions, so far as they apply to any matter or thing to be done, or any powers or functions to be exercised or performed, by such Deputy, shall be deemed to be addressed to, and shall be observed by, such Deputy.
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(2) Any such Deputy may, if he thinks fit, apply to Us for instructions in any matters; but he shall forthwith transmit to the Governor-General a copy of every despatch or other communication so addressed to Us.
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Pardon.
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3. We do hereby direct and enjoin that the Governor-General in the exercise of the powers conferred upon him by Article 10 of the Letters Patent shall not grant a pardon, respite or remission to any offender without first receiving, in every case, the advice of one of his Ministers. Where any offender shall have been condemned to suffer death by the sentence of any Court, the Governor-General shall cause a report to be made to him by the Judge who tried the case; and he shall forward such report to the Attorney-General with instructions that after the Attorney-General has advised thereon, the report shall be sent, together with the Attorney-General’s advice, to the Minister whose function it is to advise the Governor-General on the exercise of the said powers.
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Governor-General not to absent himself without leave.
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4. Except for the purpose of visiting for a short period any Dependency of the Island, the Governor-General shall not quit the Island without having first obtained leave from Us for so doing.
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Interpretation.
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5. In these Instructions, unless the context otherwise requires-
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” the Island” means the Island of Ceylon and the Dependencies thereof ;
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” the Governor-General” means the Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of the Island of Ceylon and includes the Officer for the time being Administering the Government and, to the extent to which a Deputy for the Governor-General is authorized to act, that Deputy.
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Given at Our Court at St. James’s this nineteenth day of December, 1947, in the twelfth year of Our Reign.
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