§ 19. Sir C. YATEasked the Prime Minister whether he will grant time for the discussion of the Motion standing in the name of the hon. Member for Melton, or what action he proposes to take in this matter?—["To call attention to the facts brought out in the trial of the libel action brought by Sir Michael O'Dwyer, late Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab, against Sir Sankaran Nair, formerly a member of the Executive Council of the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, in the King's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice, that in consequence of the defence having accused Sir Michael O'Dwyer of the commission of serious atrocities, including General Dyer's shooting on the mob at Amritsar on 13th April, 1919, and having insisted that this was relevant to the defence, the Judge was compelled to advise the jury as to whether the shooting in question constituted an atrocity, and, if so, whether Sir Michael O'Dwyer was responsible for it; that after considering all the evidence on the subject, much of which was not before His Majesty's Government when they punished General Dyer in 1920, the Judge expressed the view that General Dyer, in the grave and exceptional circumstances, acted rightly, and in my opinion upon the evidence he was wrongly punished by the Secretary of State for India'; and, considering that this view was accepted by 11 out of the 12 jurymen, an humble Address be presented to His 1742 Majesty praying that this judicial opinion and finding, based upon a full consideration of all the evidence, be accepted, and that His Majesty will be graciously pleased to revoke the censure passed upon General Dyer after the incomplete executive investigation in 1920."]
§ The PRIME MINISTERNo, Sir; I am not prepared to grant time for the discussion of this Motion.