§ 58. Mr. T. WILLIAMSasked the Secretary of State for India whether he is aware of the renewed pressure to secure 1863 the transfer of the 24 British-Indian villages known as Barwala villages, in the district of Ahmedabad, to the jurisdiction of the Limbdi State; and whether he will give an assurance that no such transfer will be made unless the inhabitants of the villages so determine by plebiscite?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for INDIA(Sir Samuel Hoare)A claim has been preferred by the Thakore Sahib of Limbdi, who is the owner of these villages in British India, to sovereignty over the territory. It is a generally accepted principle that British territory would not be transferred to an Indian State against the decisive wishes of the population affected, which, if the case arose, would be ascertained in whatever manner appeared most appropriate.