Local Government in Ancient India c13.36

c13.36

(6) *Committee for the supervision of justice*: the duty of this committee seems to have been, as its name indicates, to ‘supervise the justice’ or fairness of the annual elections of the various committees. The inscription (Uttaramallūr, B. in *Arch. Surv. Report*, 1904–5, p. 144) states: ‘For appointing the committees after these have retired the members of the “committee for supervision of justice” in the twelve streets (of Uttaramallūr) shall convene an assembly (*kuri*) with the help of the arbitrator.' Thus this committee convened the annual meeting of the assembly and conducted the elections of the various committees whenever they were necessitated by vacancies caused in them by removal of members 'found guilty of offence'. No rules are laid down for the constitution of this committee as a separate body. Probably it was part of some other committee. In view of the qualifications for membership of the annual committee such as seniority and learning, it may be inferred that the magistrates and judges of Uttaramallūr were probably recruited from this committee.