§ MR. O'GRADY (Leeds, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been called to the fact that Mr. Jotindranath Sen, editor of the Allahabad Citizen, was cited to appear before the district magistrate of Allahabad on 4th February with respect to a certain article that appeared in the Citizen of 21st January regarding the alleged misarrangement of the mela at Tribeni, and was asked the name of his informant, which Mr. Jotindranath Sen refused to give, and was then asked by the district magistrate to sign a statement of the interview; and whether he will inform the House as to the authority under which these proceedings were taken, and whether the purpose of the proceedings was to charge Mr. Jotindranath Sen with the crime of sedition.
§ THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Mr. Hobhouse, Bristol, E.)I have seen in the newspapers reports to the effect stated. I have no information as to the authority under which the proceedings in question, if they ever took place, were taken, or as to their purpose.