MAURITIUS (PRISON SENTENCE)

HC Deb 07 June 1944 vol 400 c1340

33. Mr. Sorensen

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the circumstances that have led to the imprisonment of Binoondyal in Mauritius.

Colonel Stanley

Bissoondoyal was convicted in a Magistrates' Court in March of holding public meetings in contravention of the regulations on that subject and was fined and given time to pay. As he failed to pay the fine a warrant was issued for his arrest in May in the ordinary course of justice and he was sent to prison. I have no power to review the proceedings of Courts of Justice in Mauritius or in other Dependencies, but it was open to Bissoondoyal to appeal against his sentence to a higher court if he desired to do so.