Kinnar Diyanutdaula had even written his land and property in the name of Emperor Wajid Ali.
His annual pension of Rs 12 lakh was twice what the British Queen received from her privy purses. But this amount was insufficient for his unaccounted expenses. Wajid Ali Shah, the last king of Awadh, did not shy away from taking loans from moneylenders and even his servants. The British government, fresh from the rebellion of 1857, did not want the emperor ousted by it to take to the streets and the publicity of his plight would become the reason for a new rebellion. Wajid Ali Shah was trying to mortgage his house Sultan Khana in Garden Ridge after the recovery decree issued by the court in the case of loan taken from a moneylender. This news troubled the government.
The government passed a law in 1862, exempting the King from the jurisdiction of the courts except in cases where the death penalty was punishable. This was injustice to the lenders. But the government, which had failed to stop the king from wasteful expenditure, thought that when there would be no possibility of recovery even through the courts, the moneylenders would refrain from giving them loans? Was this possible?
The new way of obtaining loans made some of the king’s cronies rich. On the other hand, Diyanat-ud-Daula, a eunuch living in Khidmat, forgave thirty-four thousand rupees that he had lent to the king. Through his will, he also gave his house and wealth to him. Read some interesting stories related to Wajid Ali Shah.
The need to mortgage a house!
Moneylender Manohar Das, who failed to recover the loan from Wajid Ali Shah despite many efforts, took refuge in the court. After the favorable decision of the High Court, he pressurized him for the payment. Where did the money come from? After being ousted from the rule of Awadh, the British government gave three buildings in Garden Ridge, Calcutta to Wajid Ali Shah. Advisor Safdar Ali and brother-in-law Zulfiqar-ud-Daula suggested that the money should be arranged by mortgaging one of the Sultan Khanas.
Wajid Ali Shah.
The documents of the building were handed over to three people. When the then Governor General Lord Canning came to know about this in January 1862, he asked the king to be alert to his servants. Expressed sorrow and surprise that despite the huge amount of pension, he is stuck in financial problems. Canning reminded that apart from pension, they should not expect anything else from the government. Reiterated that if the attitude is not changed then the troubles of you and your family will increase further.
Stop giving loans, not taking loans
Despite this bluntness of Canning, the government wanted to find a way out. There was a reason for this. The memories of the struggle of 1857 were still fresh. The infamy of usurping the kingdom of Delhi and Awadh was haunting the British. In such a situation, due to shortage of money, people could have gathered in support of King Wajid Ali Shah by coming on the streets. The British officers who looked after the affairs related to the Emperor had agreed that the Emperor’s habit of extravagance and taking loans was incurable. Another way was to create such a situation that moneylenders would not give them loans. Manohar Das had taken the help of court to recover money from Badshah. The opinion was formed that if the king was taken out of the jurisdiction of the courts, people would shy away from giving loans to the king. There was also a provision in the law that even the old debt could not be recovered from the king.
If the king did not change then the law changed
Within a week of Canning’s departure, the new Governor General, the Earl of Elgin, approved the King of Oudh Act 1862 (CA8). This Act, passed on 27 March 1862, freed the King from the jurisdiction of civil and criminal courts, except in cases in which the death penalty could be imposed. The courts could neither summon them nor issue warrants. He could not even be put under house arrest. The courts could ask him anything only through the British agent. Still, if any court tried to give orders in civil, revenue or criminal matters, it required first the approval of the Governor General and then the confirmation of the Secretary to the Government of India.
Governor General Earl of Elgin approved the King of Oudh Act 1862 (Ka8).
This law was certainly unjust for those to whom the king was indebted. But the government had its own arguments. According to British agent Herbert, “It is hoped that in the future people will avoid the problems of giving huge loans to His Majesty and then recovering them further. Since the King will not be able to change himself, those who gave him loans should be warned that recovery will not be possible even through the courts.”
middleman’s silver
The king took full advantage of this law. He avoided the dues of bankers, moneylenders and merchants. Now his employees were the source of his hobbies and needs. Munshi Safdar Ali was their leader. These employees would pick up goods from the market and then sell them to the king at arbitrary prices. They could also see the benefit from where they brought the goods, hence there was no hesitation in giving loans to these employees. The traders who gave the goods knew for whom the goods were going but they considered it easy to control the employees, so they did not worry much.
Interestingly, Safdar Ali, under whose leadership the goods were supplied to the Emperor, was also the same Safdar who kept track of the Emperor’s payments. Safdar had made elaborate arrangements to ensure that no one could investigate the accounts. After Safdar’s death in June 1866, the secrets of his shady dealings started coming to light. Safdar, who received a nominal salary from the king, had become the owner of huge wealth before his death. He was also reportedly supposed to get around forty lakhs from the king.
Those who got twenty rupees claim lakhs!
The law of 1862 had taken the Emperor out of the jurisdiction of the court but the lawyers found a way out. Safdar’s heirs and some others presented a claim of forty lakhs against the king. The High Court accepted that Badshah cannot be summoned but a case can be filed against him. During this court proceeding the government’s sympathy was with the king. His officials were unhappy with the emperor’s habits but believed that because of his generosity he was being cheated by those whom he blindly trusted.
Meanwhile, Agent Major Herbert appointed the capable and honest Amir Ali to look after the King’s legal matters. Both made a list of fourteen main creditors. Asked him to present papers in support of the dues. Many of them were the emperor’s employees, whose salaries were between twenty to fifty rupees. He also had a claim worth lakhs on the king. On the other hand, Badshah said that he had trusted his subordinates and paid more than once. By the end of 1867, after the investigation of Herbert and Amir Ali, the outstanding amount of about fifty lakhs came down to seven lakh eighty thousand. The king agreed to pay it in installments.
Kinnar Diyanutaddaulah had given his land and property in the name of the king.
He did everything in the name of the king
There were many employees who took advantage of the king’s generosity and cheated him. On the other hand, there was an employee Diyanutaddaula who did everything in the name of the king. Diyanutaddaulah was also among the 18 African slaves bought by the then emperor Naseeruddin Haider in 1831. He was a eunuch. He remained loyal to the court throughout his life and kept progressing. He died on June 23, 1867 at his home in Garden Ridge.
Amir Ali informed Agent Herbert that after the death of Diyanutdaulah, jewelery and cash as well as bonds worth Rs 67 thousand had been missing from his house. Calcutta Police was prohibited from entering Garden Ridge. Herbert informed the Bank of Bengal and got the payment of bonds stopped. Although Kinnar Diyanutaddaulah had adopted a teenager named Fida Hussain, he had bequeathed his land and property to the emperor. The king also had thirty-four thousand cash left. There was also mention of its apology in the will.
Also read: Divorced 27 begums in one day, shocking stories from Wajid Ali Shah’s harem
