§ MR. O'GRADYI beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been called to the trial and sentence to two years rigorous imprisonment of a Bengali barrister on the charge of murderously attacking two English railway officials; whether he is aware that the accused was sixty years of age, and in defence stated that he got into a first class carriage by mistake late at night at a wayside station the carriage being occupied by the two railway officials, and because he would 1737 not leave was set upon by the prosecutors, and in self defence picked up a Goorka dagger lying on the seat of the carriage; whether he is aware that one Judge tried the case, and that another Judge came along, read the evidence, and gave judgment against the accused, on the grounds that the dagger must have been his property, because it was exactly the length of the accused's carpet bag; and whether, having regard to the whole circumstances of the case, he will cause inquiries to be made, with the view of exercising the prerogative of mercy.
§ MR. MORLEYI have seen a report of the trial, and also a report that on 28th January an appeal was admitted by the Calcutta High Court, who released the accused on bail. Until the result of the appeal is known, I can express no opinion on the case; but I may point out that the Judges who tried the case were both Indians, and that it was at the request of the accused that the Judge who took up the case when the original Judge was taken ill decided not to re hear the whole case. My hon. friend will find the grounds of the judgment reported at length in the Indian newspapers of the time. I have no information as to the dagger or carpet bag.