'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [‎182v] (369/502)

8
Of the eight prisoners taken out to be publicly disgraced today, the pri
soner Ghana bin Dhondi died on his way. Kamini Tatiaba, who went to in
form the Maharaj of this, received an order that the dead body should be taken
to the jail in a cart. Accordingly the Jemadar of the Kacheri has conveyed
the corpse to the Jail, and I am awaiting instructions for its disposal.
Falgun vad 4th, Svt. 19:29.
(Signed) B11U J AX G11 AO MORESHVAR,
NISBAT BALVANTRAO ESHVANT.
Final Statement by the Resident.
1874.
An outline of the main points in this case has been given in Schedule
No. 11., and in continuation thereof, the Resident now begs to submit the
accompanying detailed comment on the Judicial proceedings 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). ,
produced in Court on the 17th December last.
•2. The Resident would observe that he had no opportunity of inspect
ing the original proceedings, until they were laid before the Commission by
the Sir Foujdar Balvantrao Eshvant, the officer who holds them ; nor has he
been furnished with copies of them. There is. however, it is submitted,
sufficient evidence on the face of them to show, that they are utterly untrust
worthy, and the Resident has no hesitation in reiterating the opinion which
he has before expressed, as to the real character of this very serious case;
especially serious he would submit, in consequence of the contemptuous con
duct 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 connection with it from the very first.
3. On the 17th December, the Resident offered to produce the wives
of the 2 prisoners still in jail, to show that severe flogging preceotea? the alleged
confessions ; it was decided, however, by the Commission not to go into
the details of the case, but to obtain a general statement of the facts 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). Agent Balvantrao Eshvant, who had conducted it. Under these
circumstances, the case still remained open for inquiry.
4. This official, however, in answer to the very reasonable request of
the President of the Commission, that he would favour them with a brief
explanatory account of the circumstances as they occurred from the beginning,
declined to do so, under the pretence that as a member 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). he
could not allow himself to be examined by the Commission without the
orders of the Maharaja, or words to that effect. He eventually consented to
put in certain proceedings, and to verify them in the manner recorded by the
Commission.
5. The Resident regrets to be obliged to record, in the interests of
justice, that the manner and bearing of the Sir Foujdar Balvantrao Eshvant
on this as well as other occasions, before the Commission, was not such as
to convey a sense of his credibility as a 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, and it will be seen
from a perusal of the alleged confessions which he then put in,
are attested by his signature, that without the explanatory statement which
the Commission asked for, and the Sir Foujdar declined to make, no light
whatever is thrown upon the current of events as they took place in this case
between about 9 p.m . on Sunday the 16th of March last, and 10 or 11 o'clock
p.m . of Tuesday the 18th idem.
6. That omission, however, the Resident is now in a position to supply
in somewhat fuller detail than has already been given in the petition of
Borah Hasanbhai which accompanied his letter to Government, No. dated
27th October last.

'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [‎182v] (369/502)

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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [‎182v] (369/502)

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