§ 31. Mr. SWIFT MacNEILLasked whether he is aware that, for the same offence for which Chutkan Singh, Sikhdar Singh, and Ganga Singh were tried by Mr. Bell, the Sessions judge of Sitapur, and acquitted and were, five months after their acquittal, retried by the Judicial 'Commissioners and convicted, Chutkan Singh and Sikhdar Singh being sentenced to death and executed on the 9th September, 1912, the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir John Hewett, having refused to forward to the Indian Government their appeal for mercy to the Indian Government, yet another man was tried by another Sessions judge on exactly the same evidence as was offered in the case of the Singhus, convicted by him, and sentenced, not to death, but to imprisonment, and that this man's appeal to the Judicial Commissioners, one of whom had retried the Singhus, resulted in an acquittal; and why was not this circumstance, which tends to throw additional doubt on the guilt of the Singhus and to show that the Government of India would have favourably entertained their petition for mercy if it had not been withheld by Sir John Hewett, communicated to the House of Commons in the history of this transaction furnished by the India Office to- this House?
§ Mr. MONTAGUI have no information as to the reported trial of a fourth person, but if my hon. Friend will inform me on what he bases hip statement, I will inquire.
§ Mr. SWIFT MacNEILLI will give the hon. Gentleman the information this afternoon.