Grandfather lent the British ₹35,000 109 years ago, now the grandson will recover it
In Madhya Pradesh's Sehore district, a family plans to file a legal notice to recover a loan of ₹35,000 given to the British Crown in 1917, which remains unpaid.
In a unique legal maneuver, a prominent family from Sehore district in Madhya Pradesh, India, is preparing to send a legal notice to the British Crown regarding a loan of ₹35,000 made in 1917. This amount was loaned by Seth Jumma Lal Ruthia, a wealthy individual of that time, to the British government for managing the princely state of Bhopal. The loan has remained unpaid even after a century, leading the family to pursue legal action against the British authorities who benefited from the funds.
Seth Jumma Lal Ruthia was one of the richest individuals in the region after Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum of Bhopal. Following his death in 1937, his son, Manakchand Ruthia, discovered strong documentation of this agreement in his will. Now, his grandson, Vivek Ruthia, is taking up the mantle to continue this legal fight, asserting that the current value of the loan exceeds ₹1 crore based on today's market value. This case not only highlights the historical financial ties between Indian princely families and colonial powers but also raises questions about the contemporary implications of such debts under international sovereignty laws.
Vivek Ruthia seeks to invoke international sovereignty law to support their claim against the British Crown, suggesting that financial obligations established during colonial times should still hold valid in today's legal frameworks. This case has the potential to shed light on similar historical financial grievances and might challenge the way former colonial powers handle such debts in the present day.