§ MR. THORBURN (Peebles and Selkirk)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for India whether Mr. C. Ramachandrazzar, formerly an Uncovenanted judicial officer, and nominated to the Covenanted Civil Service, as an Assistant Magistrate, in February 1887, on the abolition of his appointment of Magistrate in the city of Madras, was, in March, 1889, promoted per saltum to the grade of Joint Magis- 308 trate over the heads of more than 60 officers senior to him in the Gradation List; and, if so, can he state the reason for his promotion; whether the promotion of Mr. C. Ramachandrazzar, the last appointed Joint Magistrate in the Madras Presidency, above all the 14 Joint Magistrates previously appointed, has been notified in the usual way, and whether it is intended to promote Mr. C. Ramachandrazzar over the heads of his 14 seniors, to an appointment as District Judge or District Magistrate; whether all the officers thus superseded, except those on leave or special duty, are now, and have for some time past, been acting as District Judges, or District Magistrates and Collectors, with satisfaction t the Government and High Court of Madras; whether some of them were so acting before Mr. C. Ramachandrazzar ever entered the Covenanted Service; whether the Secretary of State in Council will instruct the Madras Government to refrain from appointing Mr. C. Ramachandrazzar permanently, or substantively, pro tempore, to the post of District Judge, or District Magistrate and Collector, until all previously appointed Joint Magistrates have received such permanent promotion; whether, in a regularly recruited Madras Covenanted Service, the normal period for promotion to the grade of Joint Magistrate is 12 years, and for promotion to the highest grade 16 years, as calculated by the hon. H. E. Stokes, M.C.; whether it is the fact that Mr. C. Ramachandrazzar was, in March last, appointed Joint Magistrate over the heads of three officers whose service exceeded 12 years, and that, if promoted to the next vacancy in the highest grade, he will supersede at least three officers whose service exceeds 16 years; whether the Secretary of State will cancel the appointment already made, and instruct the Madras Government to abstain from giving exceptional promotion to Mr. C. Ramachandrazzar, until it can be done without disappointing the reasonable and just expectations of those who entered the Covenanted Service by open competition; and, whether, if it appears that Mr. C. Ramachandrazzar's promotion will be indefinitely delayed by this restriction, the Secretary of State is willing to 309 accelerate promotion by allowing officers, who have served for 15 years, to retire on proportionate pensions?
SIR J. GORSTThere is no such person in the Covenanted Civil Service of India as Mr. C. Ramachandrazzar; but the question may refer to Mr. C. Ramchandra Aiyar, who was in March, 1887, appointed a "Statutory Civilian" under 33 Vict., c. 3, and is now Acting District and Sessions Judge at Nellore. He has been nearly 30 years in the Government Service, and is looked upon as one of the best judicial officers in the Madras Presidency, and answers the description in the Statute, being "of proved merit and ability." The Secretary of State has no reason to believe that any injustice has been done to any member of the Covenanted Civil Service of India, and he has no intention of interfering in the matter.