Lords Sitting of 23 April 1852

MINUTES.
PUBLIC BILL.—1a Linen, &c. Manufactures (Ireland).

CASE OF JOTEE PERSHAUD.
LORD BROUGHAMsaid, that a charge had last year been made in that House in respect of the conduct of certain civil servants of the East India Government towards an army contractor in that country, of the name of Jotee Pershaud. He had at that time promised the noble Earl by whom the complaint was brought forward (the Earl of Ellenborough), that an inquiry should be instituted into the case under the direction of the Governor General; and he had been informed that within the last few days the papers connected with the investigation had reached the India House and the Board of Control. When their Lordships considered the nature of these charges, and the authority upon which they had been made, he was sure they would feel that it would be but just to those who had been subjected to such charges that those papers should be laid before Parliament. He understood that there would be no objection on the part of the right hon. Gentleman the President of the Board of Control, or on the part of Her Majesty's Government, to their production; and he should, therefore, content himself at that moment with moving that they should be laid before Parliament. The noble Lord, therefore, moved—
"That there be laid before the House Copies of the Correspondence between the Court of East India Directors and the Government of India, relative to the trial of Jotee Pershaud, and to the conduct of certain members of the Indian service connected with that proceeding."
The EARL of ELLENBOROUGHsaid, he thought the Motion a perfectly proper one.
The EARL of DERBYsaid that he had not himself had an opportunity of looking over those papers; but as he understood from his right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Control that there could be no objection to their production, he was ready to accede to the Motion.
Motion agreed to. Papers ordered to be laid before the House.
House adjourned to Monday next.