Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked whether the right hon. Gentleman has any official knowledge of a recent case in a subdivision of Poona in which a sub-inspector of police was charged with torturing two men, and of supporting the alleged charge against them by the fabrication of false evidence; whether he was convicted by the sessions judge and a jury on both counts; whether one of the tortured men died of the torture; whether the judge characterised it as a very cruel assault on helpless men, and the torture as being peculiarly revolting; whether he declared such offences were difficult to detect and should be punished severely; and whether he can state why, under the circumstances, the sub-inspector was not charged with murder?
§ Mr. MONTAGUI will place in the Library a copy of the judgment of the Sessions Court. My hon. Friend's summary is substantially accurate, but he omits to mention that the sub-inspector was sentenced to eight years' rigorous imprisonment in all. Seven years is on the count of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, and one year's rigorous imprisonment besides, on the charge of fabricating false evidence, not against his prisoners, but with regard to the cause of death, in order to-shield himself. He was also convicted and sentenced to one year's rigorous imprisonment (to run concurrently) for framing incorrect records in the hope of saving himself from punishment. The judge does not appear to have used the exact words attributed to him, but I may mention that he commended a magistrate for the promptitude and thoroughness, with which he had conducted the inquiry. The evidence in the case seems not to warrant any conclusion that there was that intention to cause death or knowledge that the hurt inflicted was likely to cause death which is required to constitute culpable homicide, but the attention of the jury was directed by the judge to that point. Departmental action is being taken against the other policemen concerned, and a notification on the case will be circulated as a warning.