Nadeera Rupesinghe - Do You Know the Ninth Commandment? Tensions of the Oath in Dutch Colonial Sri Lanka

Colonial agents often saw the value of improvising the corporal form of the oath for the smoother functioning of judicial bodies. The VOC in Sri Lanka found that potential swearers were mostly nominal Christians who had few scruples about giving false oaths. This subtle resistance prompted the accommodation of local oath forms. Ultimately, the changes were of little use due to the mutual discrediting of potential oath-takers. A nominal Christian’s refusal to take the Dutch oath and preference for the local oath would be criticised, as also an acceptance of the Dutch form. Plural forms of the oath thus did not always provide the desired effect but rebounded in unexpected ways. Such everyday judicial practices provide deeper insights into the navigation of pluralities.