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38 1934

ELECTRICITY (SUPPLY) (AMENDMENT) (NO, 2) ACT, 1934

SECOND SCHEDULE.

Public Inquiries.

1. The inquiry shall be held by such person and at such time and place as the Minister shall appoint.

2. The Board shall cause notice of the holding of the inquiry to be given in such manner as the Minister shall direct to the public and to such particular persons as the Minister shall specify.

3. The person holding the inquiry shall have all such powers, rights, and privileges for enforcing the attendance of witnesses and examining them on oath (which such person is hereby authorised to administer) or otherwise, and for compelling the production of documents as are vested in the High Court or a Judge thereof in respect of the trial of an action, and a summons signed by such person shall be equivalent to and have the like effect as a formal process issued by the High Court for enforcing the attendance of witnesses or compelling the production of documents, as the case may be.

4. If any person—

(a) on being duly summoned as a witness at the inquiry makes default in attending, or

(b) being in attendance as a witness refuses to take an oath legally required by the person holding the inquiry to be taken, or to produce any document legally required by the person holding the inquiry to be produced by him, or to answer any question to which the person holding the inquiry may legally require an answer, or

(c) does any other thing which would, if the person holding the inquiry were a Court of Justice having power to commit for contempt of court, be contempt of such court,

the person holding the inquiry may certify the offence of that person under his hand to the High Court and that Court may, after such inquiry as it thinks proper to make, punish or take steps for the punishment of that person in like manner as if he had been guilty of contempt of the said Court.

5. A witness before the inquiry held under this Act shall be entitled to the same immunities and privileges as if he were a witness before the High Court.

6. All expenses incurred by the Minister in holding the inquiry shall be paid to the Minister by the Board, and the amount of such expenses shall be fixed by the Minister and when so fixed shall be recoverable by the Minister from the Board as a civil debt in any court of competent jurisdiction.