INDIAN PRINCES’ RIGHTS

Hokitika Guardian, 24 January 1929, Page 2

INDIAN PRINCES’ RIGHTS

AGREEMENTS UNDER PRES-

SURE

The Maharajah of Patiala, Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes, has made a statement to Reuter on the work of Sir Harcourt Butler’s Committee, which lias investigated the status of the Indian Princes.

He stated that he was speaking in the name and with the full authority of those members of the Standing Committee of the Chamber of Princes who are at present in London and said: We are sorry that the committee did not see its way to allow the sessions to be public, because the Princes are anxious that the large imperial questions should be adequately discussed, and, indeed, appreciated by the people of Britain.

To the question whether any new point as regards the Princes’ case had been brought forward, the Maharajah replied: It has been known to us and indeed admitted by the Government of India, that there have been infringements of the rights secured to the States by treaties engagements, and other agreements.

We have now discovered that the range of these infringements is far greater even than we ourselves ever imagined. It has been found that many of the subsidiary agreements between the Government of India and the States were net voluntary agreements on the part of the States at all. When not obtained under direct pressure, which often took the form of a threat of displeasure, many of them were obtained when the Government of India were in the position of trustees for a minority administration.

Another point that has been brought out is that the transaction of daily business between the Government and the States has not been on the basis of the strict legal rights of the parties.

This we have always believed ourselves, but we now know it lie to a fact on the basis of the authoritative legal opinion which we have obtained from some of the most distinguished counsel in Britain. Indeed it may be doubted whether the Government of India have ever realised the limitations on their power imposed hy those rights of the States, the existence of which has now been established on a legal basis. A NEW POSITION. If the Indian States Committee does not admit our contentions as regards the new constitutional position, our next step must necessarily he to ask for an autliorative decision upon that issue, and particularly as the Government of India and ourselves are parties equally interested. Asked what the probable result of the work of the committee would ho the Maharajah said:.

In view of the .strength of the case we have placed before the committee we shall be extremely surprised and disappointed if it does not entirely endorse the views we have put forward. We believe, however, that further investigations of certain of the questions wo have raised will be necessary.