§ 69. Mr. SNOWDENasked the Secretary of State for India if a Regulation has been published that no man who has made a claim for exemption from the Military Service Act on the ground of conscientious objection to military service will be allowed in future to enter the examination for the Indian Civil Service; if so, by what authority such a Regulation has been made and on what grounds is it justified; and by what legal power is this penalising of a man for acting under the provision of an Act of Parliament authorised?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for INDIA (Mr. Chamberlain)Yes, Sir. The Regulation has been made in pursuance of the powers conferred upon the Secretary of State for India in Council by Section 97 of the Government of India Act, 1915. It is justified by the fact that a person who has moral objections to the use of force by the State in any circumstances could not perform all the duties that may be required of members of the Indian Civil Service, who are responsible for the maintenance of order.