306
No. 2 of 1889.
EVIDENCE.
tion of oath by the court. 14 & 15 Vict.
c. 99, s. 16.
Normal manner of administra-
tion of oaths. 9 Edw. 7, c.
39, ss. 2, 3.
Swearing with uplifted
hand.
51 & 52 Vict.
c. 46, s. 5.
Validity of oath not affected by absence of religious belief.
51 & 52 Vict. c. 46, s. 3.
Affirmation
in lieu of oath.
51 & 52 Vict. c. 46, s. 1.
to all such persons as are legally called or appear voluntarily before it.
43.-(1) Any oath may be administered and taken in the form and manner following:--
The person taking the oath shall hold the New Testament, or, in the case of a Jew, the Old Testament, in his uplifted hand, and shall say or repeat after the officer administering the oath the words "I swear by Almighty God that" followed by the words of the oath prescribed by law.
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(2) The officer shall, unless the person about to take the oath voluntarily objects thereto, or is physically incapable of so taking the oath, administer the oath in the form and manner aforesaid without question :
Provided that, in the case of a person who is neither a Christian nor a Jew, the oath may be administered in any manner which is now lawful.
(3) In this section "officer" includes every person authorized to administer oaths.
44. If any person to whom an oath is administered desires to swear with uplifted hand, in the form and manner in which an oath is usually administered in Scotland, he shall be permitted so to do, and the oath shall be administered to him in such form and manner without further question.
45. Where an oath has been duly administered and taken, the fact that the person to whom the same was administered had, at the time of taking such oath, no religious belief, shall not for any purpose affect the validity of such oath.
46. (1) Every person upon objecting to being sworn, and stating, as the ground of such objection, either that he has no religious belief, or that the taking of an oath is contrary to his religious belief, shall be permitted to make his solemn affirmation instead of taking an oath in all places and for all purposes where an oath is or shall be required by law.