‘Rs 35,000 loaned to British in 1917’: Madhya Pradesh household to formally pursue war-time mortgage given to colonial govt | India Information
3 min learnBhopalUp to date: Feb 27, 2026 07:40 AM IST
A household in Madhya Pradesh has revived a little-known monetary transaction from the colonial period, claiming that the British administration borrowed a big sum of cash throughout World Warfare I and by no means repaid it.
The Ruthia household of Sehore says documentary information point out that Rs 35,000 was taken by British authorities in 1917 from a neighborhood businessman to satisfy wartime administrative wants.
The declare dates again to a interval when the British Indian administration, stretched by the worldwide conflict effort, relied not solely on imperial revenues but in addition on loans and contributions from Indian princely states and rich people. In a number of components of India, prosperous retailers and landowners have been inspired to help the colonial conflict effort by means of bonds, donations, or loans.
In line with the Ruthia household, Seth Jummalal Ruthia, a distinguished businessman within the Sehore area of the erstwhile Bhopal princely state, prolonged such a mortgage to the British authorities. Members of the family say the quantity was described in paperwork as a war-related advance meant to facilitate governance and administration throughout wartime.
Greater than 100 years later, Seth Jummalal’s grandson, Vivek Ruthia, says the household just lately got here throughout certificates and correspondence whereas reviewing outdated information following his father’s loss of life. He maintains that there isn’t a proof the cash was ever returned and says the household is now making ready to formally pursue the matter with the British authorities.
“The paperwork clearly present that the quantity was superior to the British administration through the conflict interval,” Vivek Ruthia mentioned, including that the household has discovered no reference to compensation in subsequent information. He mentioned the household believes the declare remained unresolved after his grandfather’s loss of life in 1937 and was regularly forgotten over generations.
On the time, Rs 35,000 was a considerable sum, equal to the worth of huge tracts of land or a number of city properties. Vivek Ruthia argues that if the quantity is recalculated, “its present-day worth could be a number of crores”.
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Earlier than Independence, the Ruthia household was among the many wealthiest and most influential households within the Sehore area of present-day Madhya Pradesh. Native information and household accounts counsel they owned in depth landholdings, with estimates indicating that a good portion of Sehore’s current settlements have been developed on land as soon as belonging to the household.
The household continues to carry properties in Sehore, Indore and Bhopal and stays energetic in agriculture, hospitality and actual property.
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