§ 39. Mr. Prittasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether as a temporary measure in order to avoid the operation of Section 13 (3) (f) of the Ceylon Constitution, he will consider granting free pardons without further delay to persons in Ceylon convicted of political offences, in the light of the widespread public demand for this step, and the large majority vote in the Ceylon State Council on the recent motion to that effect.
Mr. Creech JonesNo, Sir. The prerogative of pardon is delegated to the Governor, who would no doubt consider, on its merits, any petition for an exercise of the prerogative in any particular case. The matter is one in which I can hardly intervene.