HC Deb 10 March 1915 vol 70 c1449W
Mr. SWIFT MacNEILL

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India if he will state, province by province, for the years 1912 and 1913, the number of persons charged with murder in India; the number of capital sentences passed; the number of persons acquitted of the charge of murder; the number of appeals by local governments against such acquittals; and the number of persons sentenced to death as the result of such appeals?

Mr. C. ROBERTS

presented the following statement showing for the years 1912 and 1913 the number of persons charged with murder, the number of capital sentences passed, the number of persons acquitted of the charge of murder, the number of appeals by local governments against such acquittals, and the number of persons sentenced to death as a result of such appeals.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI.¶
Province. Number of persons against whom charges for murder were framed under Sections 302 and 396, Indian Penal Code. Number of persons sentenced to death by Courts of Sessions. Number of persons acquitted of the charge of murder by Courts of Sessions Number of persons against whose acquittal the local Government preferred an appeal. Number of persons on whom the death penalty was inflected as a result of appeals under V.
1912. 1913. 1912. 1913. 1912. 1913. 1912. 1913. 1912. 1913.
(1) Madras 640 684 80* 78* 429 445 2* 11* Nil. Nil.
(2) Bombay 500 474 93 112 220 172 15 Nil. 2 Nil.
(3) Bengal 413 445 25 29 202 223 Nil. Nil. Nil. Nil.
(4) United Provinces 568 786 185 223 191 379 10 4 6 Nil.
(5) Punjab 683 866 161 249 376 444 6 8 Nil. Nil.
(6) Burma 504 464† 166 155 240 206 1‡ 1 Nil. Nil.
(7) Bihar and Orissa 205 233 20 19 137 176 17 1 Nil. Nil.
(8) Central Provinces 204 309 53 56 77 112 6 4 Nil. 1§
(9) Assam 79 74 10 2 19 41 Nil. Nil. Nil. Nil.
(10) Coorg 6 5 1 1 1 1 Nil. Nil. Nil. Nil.
(11) Delhi 33 18 1 2 20 9 Nil. Nil. Nil. Nil.
(12) North-West Frontier Province 199 186 33 48 34 29 Nil. Nil. Nil. Nil.
NOTE.—(1) The figures marked thus (*) represent the total number of persons dealt with in each year, irrespective of the date of charge.
(6) † Includes one person committed in 1911 and sentenced to transportation in 1913.
‡ Appeal against an acquittal in 1912 preferred in 1913.
(8) § Commuted to transportation for life by Chief Commissioner.
║ The figures in column IV. include persons convicted of offences other than murder.
¶ The figures in column VI. must not be construed as implying that, in cases where the extreme penalty was not inflicted, no minor punishment was imposed.