Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c9.s5.36

c9.s5.36

There may be other explanations for the Vesālian system of justice, but in our opinion a simpler and less technical procedure would be more in keeping with the actual Licchavian practice. In a comparatively small state at this period it seems unlikely that there were different stages of a trial; more probably all cases were decided by the "jury of eight" with the chief king being the final court of appeal. Nor is it improbable that severe cases were tried by a similar court, perhaps of 500,³ formed from the Assembly of 7,707 *rājās*. The complexity of the system according to the Pāli commentary may be a reflection of the interference of the ruler and other functionaries in the decisions of the *aṭṭhakulikas*.