§ 6 and 7. Mr. SWANasked the Secretary of State for India (1) whether he will cause inquiries to be made into the case of Lala Gurdas Ram and Lala Shiv Ram, lawyers, who were arrested and imprisoned in connection with the Punjab riots in April of this year; whether these men were arrested for refusing to give evidence against the Sahukars, and, if not, why they were arrested; (2) whether his attention has been called to a petition made to the Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab on behalf of two Indian lawyers, Lala Gurdas Ram and Lala Shiv Ram, who were arrested and imprisoned in connection with the Punjab riots; whether he is aware 887 that these men are of the most respectable character, subscribing between them 6,060 rupees to the War Loan, and helped in recruiting for the Indian Army during the War; and whether, in view of the fact that these men were arrested three weeks after the Punjab riots in which they were supposed to be implicated, and were imprisoned on conflicting and inadequate evidence, he will instruct; the Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab to set them at liberty or to give them a further trial?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe two persons named were convicted by a Summary Court on the 7th June on the charge of rioting and inciting to riot, and were sentenced to two years' imprisonment. These sentences were reduced by the Lieutenant-Governor to one year, and will come again under examination by the Board of two judges of the High Court which has been appointed to review all such sentences. I have no information as to the antecedents of these persons or that a petition has been addressed to the Lieutenant-Governor in their favour.