Balthazar v. Hulangamuwa and Another – sllr 1986 volume 2 page 240

Brief
The case between Lieutenant Colonel (appellant) and the 1st defendant, an Army Major, along with the 2nd defendant, the Major’s wife (respondents), addressed whether an allegedly defamatory complaint made during military disciplinary proceedings is actionable in civil court and whether such a complaint is protected by absolute privilege. The court determined that complaints made as part of military inquiry proceedings are absolutely privileged and not subject to civil defamation actions, affirming that the interests of justice and public policy require such protection for statements made within the ambit of formal tribunal or quasi-judicial proceedings. Relying on both English and Roman-Dutch legal authorities, including precedent regarding privilege in judicial and quasi-judicial