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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [&lrm;137v] (279/502)

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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [‎137v] (279/502)

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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874'

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Ref: Mss Eur F126/78

The record is made up of 1 volume (249 folios). It was created in 1 Nov 1873-14 Feb 1874. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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and was endeavouring to obtain possession of his confiscated property, and his
"rears of pay. This 'state of affairs appears to have
>872. during which time 0^—Ke^^p^
Note.—No decisions of ^ayin^ been approved of by Colonel Sliortt, was not
either of these officers are on acted on arit [ the petitioner was again finally miormed
record in the office. . ^ ^ ] ; ad no case>
During this period, viz., from June to October, whilst his case regarding pay
and property was pending, Sadak All appears to have said nothmg about the
fracture of his arm, by torture, for obvious personal reasons. Indeed, ithasheen
already seen that in August, the very fact of his having been in prison at all was
boldly denied by the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). in their yad quoted above a fact which must have
prejudiced his case. It was not, therefore, till November 18/., after his claims
for both pay and camels, Ac., on the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). had been rejected, that he mentioned
the fact of his having been tortured to Colonel Shortt, who appears to have taken
no notice of it, excepting by a remark to the eficct that the Raholkar who did it
had been removed from office.
The case came nnder my notice in October 1873, and on the 10th of that
month I addressed His Highness on the subject, asking him to do t ie man
justice in respect to his broken arm, which had never before been lepresented ,
and with refgrgiicg to tliG positivG dGnial of tliG lact of tlio mail s naying uggu ini-
prisoned in the previous April, I wrote as follows :
" With the evidence now before me, I cannot accept your Highness's yad to
Colonel Shortt, No. 1802 of 15th August 1872, which denies the fact of Seiad Sadak
Ali having been imprisoned at all, as conveying the real facts of the complainant s
case, in regard to the torture and imprisonment, took place between
the end of April and first part of June 1872."
No answer to this letter has ever been received by me, but on the trial be
fore the Commission the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). , in consequence of what I have written above,
abandoned their false report about the imprisonment, and vainly endeavoured to
explain it away by attempting to apply a meaning to certain words in the yad
of which they were not capable. In fact, the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). yad of August 15th, 1872,
must be interpreted with reference to the wife's petition, and the yad to which it
was a reply, and in which the word " keid" could not have been used to mean
"jail," but obviously to mean "imprisonment," as will be found from the
context.
Were this an isolated instance of this kind of unscrupulous and deliberate
false statement on the part of the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). , they might receive the benefit of any
doubt that might arise on the subject, in consequence of their version of the
meaning, were there room for any. All doubt, however, as to the intention of the
Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). in this case is removed by what subsequently took place in presence of
the Commission themselves.
On the 13th December the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). Agent, in his reply to this case, stated that
"with regard to the injury it appears from the descriptive roll of prisoners, and
the evidence of witnesses, that he had sustained it previous to his arrest. The
witnesses are the Police officers at the station."
In support of this statement an extract from the Register Book of the Prison
called the " Sheher Chabutra " was produced by the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). , but no witnesses
were called to support it at that time, although it would appear from the above
that their evidence had been already taken by the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). .
I suggested that the book itself should be produced in place of the extract
put into Court, which was afterwards done, when the false entry recorded in
the proceedings was immediately detected by the Commission, but denied stoutly
by the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). Karkun Wamanrao. Eventually, however, the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). acknow
ledged the suspicious character of the entry, and withdrew the book as evidence.

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Content

Report of the Baroda Enquiry Commission on the administration of the government of Malharrao, Gaekwar of Baroda. The Commission comprised Richard John Meade (President), Edward William Ravenscroft, Mumtazul Dowlah Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. Faiz Ali Khan, Colonel Alfred Thomas Etheridge and Thomas Duncan Mackenzie (Secretary).

The report comprises a letter from the members of the Baroda Enquiry Commission to the Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department presenting their report on the results of the proceedings and submitting copies of correspondence, reports and statements relative to the enquiry (ff 5-19):

Appendix A, Part I

Schedules I-III: Complaints and grievances against the Gaekwar's Government from individuals and groups (ff 21-78).
Appendix B, Schedules I-III: Cases of complaint and grievance which the commission did not look into during the enquiry (ff 79-81).
Appendix C: Letter from Colonel Richard John Meade, President, Special Commission of Enquiry on Baroda Affairs, to Colonel Robert Phayre, Resident at Baroda, 1 November 1873 (ff 82-83).
Appendix D: Translation of an amended notice issued by the Resident to complainants desirous of appearing before the Baroda Enquiry Commission (ff 84-85).
Appendix E: Schedules presented to the Commission along with Colonel Phayre's introductory statement regarding them. (ff 86-131).
Appendix F: Letter No. 1128 of 1873 from Colonel Phayre to the President, Baroda Commission regarding the cases already submitted to the Commission, the List of undisposed petitions to be attended to by the Resident which could be used as additional cases if required and the statements that he had yet to make on cases under enquiry by the Commission (ff 132-133).
Appendix G, Schedule I: Statements from witnesses with cross examination statements from the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). on behalf of the Gaekwar and statements from the Resident as to the accuracy of the information provided (ff 134-229).

Appendix Part II (ff 231-245)

Letter from James Braithwaite Peile, Acting Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Kattywar [Kathiawar] to T D Mackenzie, Secretary, Baroda Commission, 13 December 1873 regarding papers requested by the Commission and informing them that the outstanding paper will be forwarded as soon as they are received. Enclosed with the letter are a memorandum from Peile for reconstitution of His Highness the Gaekwar's Contingent in Kattywar, 13 December 1873 and Rule for the guidance of the Officers and Kamdars appointed to the Contingent of Horse of His Highness the Gaekwar, serving in the various Tributary Mahals according to treaty.
Letter from Peile to Mackenzie, 6 January 1874, forwarding a report and returns received from Colonel Walker, Superintendent to the Gaekwar's Contingent in Kattywar and stating that he does not concur with the Colonel's opinion. Enclosed with this letter is a letter from Colonel Chamberlen William Walker, 30 December 1873, providing the information on the Contingent requested by the Commission and enclosing an extract of the Contingents annual report for 1871 and a statement of the men within the Contingent on duty under officials paid by Talukdars etc, 06 March 1872.
Letters from John Whaley Watson, Acting Political Superintendent Pahlanpur [Palanpur], Captain Henry Nicholas Reeves, Acting Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. Rewa Kanta [Rewa Kantha] and Major Philip Harrison Le Geyt, Acting Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Mahi Kanta [Mahi Kantha] to the secretary of the Baroda Commission 19 December 1873 to 9 January 1874 reporting on the Gaekwar's contingents serving within their districts and commenting on numbers of men, pay and conditions. The letters all refer to enclosed returns, but only the return for Mahi Kanta is included in the report.

Extent and format

1 volume (249 folios)

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main sequence of foliation consists of a small pencil number in the top front right hand corner of each folio enclosed in a circle.

There is also an original sequence of foliation which consists of larger pencil numbers also in the top front right hand corner of folios, however the sequence is not consistent and some of the numbers may be filing references rather than foliation numbers.

Written in

English in Latin script

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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [‎137v] (279/502), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F126/78, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023442807.0x000050> [accessed 8 June 2024]

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Reference: Mss Eur F126/78
Title: 'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874'
Pages: front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:248v, back-i
Author: East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
Usage terms: Open Government Licence