§ MR. BRADLAUGHI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for India whether the Secretary of State is aware that, in the case of "Kapur Chander La v. Rounuk Thakur and others," in the district of Tirhoot, Mr. Luson, Joint Magistrate, who tried the case after appeal had been entered against his decision, had interpolated the name of a defendant and altered his judgment after he had issued it, and given an attested copy of it both in the original judgment 1723 and the copy; though the judgment and the charge-sheet did not contain the name of the prisoner (Maharoj), yet he was sent to gaol, with a warrant containing a specific sentence; whether his attention has been called to the fact that the High Court Judges who heard the appeal declared—
We cannot regard the omissions as clerical errors, such as would entitle the Joint Magistrate* under Section 369 of the Code, to make any correction in his judgment or other portion of the record,and that—In this case the effect of the alteration has been to make it appear that a man who has over been either charged, convicted, or sentenced, has been duly convicted and sentenced, the alterations so made being after he had repealed;whether Mr. Luson is still a Magistrate; whether he has been promoted since the above facts became known to the Government of. India; and whether the Secretary of State proposes to take any, and what, action in the matter?
SIR J. GORSTThe Secretary of State has no information upon the facts alleged in this question. He proposes to send the hon. Member's question to the Government of India.