Chingleput Ryots' Case
Encyclopedia
The Chingleput Ryots' Case was a prominent trial which took place in the then Madras Presidency
in India
between 1881 and 1883. The action of the then Governor of Madras M. E. Grant Duff provoked outrage all over the Presidency. Indian nationalists frequently cited the case as an example of the alleged unjust rule of the British Raj
.
accused an Indian tahsildar of extortion and filed a case against him in a local court. The tahsildar tried to threaten the ryots with dire consequences and allegedly got the District Collector
of Chingleput to prosecute them for perjury
. However, the tahsildar was still convicted for tampering with official records and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment. The tahsildar filed a fresh appeal in the Madras High Court
resulting in the reduction of the sentence from two to one year. Dissatisfied, the tahsildar appealed once again against the verdict. Thogh the Madras High Court refused to entertain a second appeal, the Governor of Madras intervened and issued an order on May 31, 1883 acquitting the tahsildar due to lack of evidence
The District Collector of Chingleput who had allegedly shielded the corrupt tahsildar later acted as the Revenue Secretary of the Government of Madras.
, which had supported the ryots throughout the trial and even collected money to fight the case on their behalf, charged him with allowing the affair to "to cast dirt on the fair face of British Justice".
The incident was brought before the House of Commons and Sir John Gorst
, the Under-Secretary of State for India
was questioned by James Tuite, the British Member of Parliament for Westmeath North
in February 1887.
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
between 1881 and 1883. The action of the then Governor of Madras M. E. Grant Duff provoked outrage all over the Presidency. Indian nationalists frequently cited the case as an example of the alleged unjust rule of the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
.
Origin
In May 1881, a group of ryots in the then Chingleput districtChingleput District (Madras Presidency)
Chingleput district was a district in the Madras Presidency of British India. It covered the area of the present-day districts of Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur and parts of Chennai city. It was sub-divided into six taluks with a total area of...
accused an Indian tahsildar of extortion and filed a case against him in a local court. The tahsildar tried to threaten the ryots with dire consequences and allegedly got the District Collector
District collector
The District Collector is the district head of administration of the bureaucracy in a state of India. Though he/she is appointed and is under general supervision of the state government, he/she has to be a member of the elite IAS recruited by the Central Government...
of Chingleput to prosecute them for perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
. However, the tahsildar was still convicted for tampering with official records and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment. The tahsildar filed a fresh appeal in the Madras High Court
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is a senior court located at Chennai , in India. The court buildings, which are believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world, are located near the beach, in one of the city's major business districts....
resulting in the reduction of the sentence from two to one year. Dissatisfied, the tahsildar appealed once again against the verdict. Thogh the Madras High Court refused to entertain a second appeal, the Governor of Madras intervened and issued an order on May 31, 1883 acquitting the tahsildar due to lack of evidence
The District Collector of Chingleput who had allegedly shielded the corrupt tahsildar later acted as the Revenue Secretary of the Government of Madras.
Reaction
The Governor was heavily condemned and criticized by the Indian press for acquitting the corrupt tahsildar. The HinduThe Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
, which had supported the ryots throughout the trial and even collected money to fight the case on their behalf, charged him with allowing the affair to "to cast dirt on the fair face of British Justice".
The incident was brought before the House of Commons and Sir John Gorst
John Eldon Gorst
Sir John Eldon Gorst PC, QC, FRS was a British lawyer and politician. He served as Solicitor General for England and Wales from 1885 to 1886 and as Vice-President of the Committee on Education between 1895 and 1902....
, the Under-Secretary of State for India
Under-Secretary of State for India
This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1866 and 1948, and for Burma from 1858-1948....
was questioned by James Tuite, the British Member of Parliament for Westmeath North
North Westmeath (UK Parliament constituency)
North Westmeath was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament 1885–1918.Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 and after the dissolution of Parliament in 1918 the area was part of the Westmeath constituency....
in February 1887.