Public Administration in Ancient India c15.96

c15.96

Before the deposition of a witness was taken, it was the duty of the judge to impress on the witness the necessity of telling the truth, and the consequences, legal and moral, of telling a falsehood.¹ Witnesses were also charged on oath to speak the truth. According to Gautama, in the case of persons other than Brāhmanas the oath was to be taken in the presence of the gods, of the King, or of the Brāhmanas.² Perjury was regarded as a dire sin as well as a serious offence, and a witness who perjured himself was liable to be fined from one hundred to one thousand paṇas, the exact amount of the fine depending upon the motive which induced him to give false evidence.³