Mundgod: The Local Tibetan Justice Commissioner of the southern region, Phuntsok Palden, conducted a legal awareness campaign for residents of the Doeguling Tibetan Settlement in Mundgod and officiated the oath-taking ceremony for the newly elected members of the Local Tibetan Assembly (LTA) on the subsequent day.

On 3 August 2024, Local Tibetan Justice Commissioner Phuntsok Palden introduced the government and legal system of independent Tibet in the past and spoke about the evolution and compositions of the Tibetan democratic system in exile to a gathering of 250 audiences, including the Settlement Officer. He further talked about the Tibetan Justice Commission’s Code of Civil Procedure’s principal law and provided a detailed guideline on the different types of evidence, admissibility of evidence, the veracity of witnesses, examination of witnesses and the standard of proof. Thereafter, he convened a close-door meeting with five Doeguling-based Tibetan lawyers.

Later that evening, a similar legal awareness session was conducted for the teachers and students of Sambhota Tibetan School, Mundgod.

On 4 August, Local Tibetan Justice Commissioner Phuntsok Palden administered the oath of the newly elected members of the 12th Local Tibetan Assembly. 31 elected members out of 33 attended the ceremony and were sworn in, among whom Pema Dorjee and Geshe Sherab Gyatso were elected as the new President and Vice President of the Local Tibetan Assembly.

-Report filed by TSJC, CTA