'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [217r] (438/502)
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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
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SCHEDULE II.
C ase N o. 66.
Statement 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).
.
Bhao Sindhia's creditors and estate.
The property is not worth from 30 to 50
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
as alleged. It is under 5
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
. From this we shall first deduct the State claim of Rs. 1,21,223 and
Court Fees Rs. 22,656 and divide the balance amongst his creditors. So
far as we can judge there will be no surplus ; but should there be any, His
Highness will have no objection to handing it over to the widows. With
reference to the discrepancy between the value of the estate as entered in the
Schedule and declared by us, we would say that it is a notorious fact that
Bhao Sindhia while in power remitted large sums to his native place, and
further that having received agrant of two Inam villages from the Gaekwar, he
got them exchanged for the village of Devargam in Nasik Zilla in order that
it might be beyond the reach of the Maharaja.
Final Statement by the Resident.
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).
state that the value of the late Bhao Sindhia's property
amounts only to 5
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
instead of from 30 to 50 as stated in the Schedule.
No evidence of any kind has been adduced 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).
to support the
truth of this statement, which is contradicted by the evidence not only of Bhao
Sindhia's widows, but of every one whom the Resident has consulted on the
subject. It is in fact notorious in Baroda that the late Bhao Sindhia was
enormously wealthy, and this fact is not 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).
, who explain,
however, that large sums were remitted by Bhao Sindhia to his native place in
Nasik. It is true that a sum of one
lakh
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
of
rupees
Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf.
was deposited in Bombay,
in the house of Gopalrao Myral, in the name of Bhao Sindhia's wives. This
sum has, however, been withheld 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).
, and a suit for the amount is
now pending in the High Court. With the exception of this sum of one
lakh
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
of
rupees
Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf.
no money appears to have been remitted by the late Bhao Sindhia
from Baroda. The widows have solemnly declared that with the exception
of Bhao Sindhia's Inam village of Devargam, they have been deprived of every
thing which they possessed, and in order to dispossess them of this last remain
ing property, one of Bhao Sindhia's chief creditors named Hari Bhagti has been
instigated to file a suit in the Nasik Civil Court, although the whole of Bhao
Sindhia's property was originally attached to meet the claims of creditors
which have never been satisfied.
Bhao Sindhia's widows have represented that the whole of their deceased
husband's papers having been seized 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).
, and most of his confiden
tial servants being restrained by fear 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).
from giving any assistance,
they are effectually prevented from proving the real amount of the late Bhao
Sindhia's property. They pray that all their papers may be restored, and that
all the persons who were acquainted with the late Bhao Sindhia s piivate cii-
cumstances may be called and examined. A list of these persons has been
given.
It "will be observed that although the late Bhao Sindhia died on 1st May
1872, 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).
admit that no disposal has yet been made of his effects.
In the explanation which was given 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).
of the treatment of
Bhao Sindhia's widows (case 53) it was stated that property valued at Rs.
3 ,61,200 was seized and confiscated in satisfaction of the State claims. In
the present explanation the State claims are stated at Rs. 1,21,223. It will
n—66
About this item
- 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 View the complete information for this record
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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
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