The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1883-05-15 00:00:00

YR. JUSTICE NORRIS IN INDIA.

THE INTRISONNIIIIT ON AN INDIAN MATINS EDITOR AT

011.01717/..

There has been for $ me time, and still is, pending,
on the original side of the High Court, an wiministra-
tion suit, the princip .1 parties to which are two
brothers, Hin loos. During the proceedings a queetion
arse regarding the identity of a ealigram or stone
iuisige of the Thakoor, or household god. One brother
asserted. while the other denied, that • certain idol,
silt" b, in the house of a Brahmiu named Bhuttock
N.th Pundit, was the family idol in question. The
nomad for both parties suggested that the idol should
be brought into court fir identification by the judge.
Mr. Justice Norris hesitated to take that course
until he had c insulted the attorneys in this ciae,
who are both Hindooe. They repl ed that there
c mid be no objection. Mr. Justice Norris, in order
still further to satisfy himself, asked the opinion of
the court interpreter, who is an officer of long
xperience, and a high-caste Brahmin. Hie answer
was tbst the idol c odd not be brought into court.
on account of the cur in.tting with which the floor
was covered; but that it might with perfe t pro-
priety hi brim lit Into the c wridor i• itside. Aixord-
ingly Mr. Justice Norris leaned his subpoena to
/Inuit 'ck Nath Pundit to produce the idol the same
day ; sod further ordered the interpreter to proceed
to the house, sod himaslf see ti the proper cons
vi.yance of the idol ti the court. The idol was
brought to the corridor by tho interpreter, and
the pundit awl the Judge, attended by the
counsel ant attorneys, left the court and went into
the corridor to inspect it. Some days after this
occurrence the following rernergs appeared in a native
newspaper called Brohole Public Opinion :—" Mr.
Jusiics Norris is determined to set the Hooghly on
fire. rhe last act of jubberdusti" (that ia, high.
Mindedness) 'on his lordship's part was the bringing
of • saline.= into court for identification. There have
been very many mei., both in the late Supreme Court
and in the present High Conn. regar ling the cuetody
of Hiniloo idol.; but the presiding deity ole Hindoo
household never before had the honour of filing
dragged into court. Our Ca cotta Daniel I Kilted at the
idol and said it could not b. 100 year. old. So Mr.
Justice Norris is not only versant in law and medicine.
but is also a (omega cs f Hindoo idols. It is difficult
to say what he is Ii .t. Whether the ortbod ix Hindoos
of Calcutta will tamely submit to their I may idols
being dragged into court is a matter for them to
decide; but it does seem to us th it some public step
should be taken to put • quietus on the wild
eccentricities of this young and raw dispenser of
justice." This Article seems to have escaped general
notice till it wan repro tutted to another native news-
vapor, the Beagaler, wir h the following editorial
comments:—" J udges of the High Court have hitherto
commanded the universal respect of the community.
Of course they have often erred and often grievously
failed in the performance f their duties. But their
errors have hardly ever been due to impuldventes
or to the neglect of ths commonest considerations of
orudenre or deceocy. We have [low, however, among
tie • judge who, if he does not actually recall to mind
the da, a •,f J Ifreve and Smogs; hes certainly done
en ugh within the short time he has filled the High
o mrt Bench to show how unworthy be Is of lila high
office; an I how he is by nature unfitted to maintain
the traditions of dignity inseparable from the office of
• judge of the highest court of the land. From
time to time we see adverted to the proceed-
ings of filr. Justice N vris ; but the climax bee now
been reached, and we venture to call attention to the
facts recorded in the columns of a contemporary."
Then follows the mticle from the Bream Pablit
Oeinfoe quoted above. The Benyike proceeds :
" What are we to think of a judge, no ignorant of the
feelings of the people. and so disrespectful towards
their met cherished convictions, as to drag into o owl
and inspect an object of worship which only Brahmins
are allowed to approach after having purified them.
'Glee.? Will the Government take no notice of such
• proceeding? The religious feelings of the people are
always the object of tender care with the Supreme
Government. here, however, we have • judge who,
in the name of Justice, sets these feelings at defiance,
and commits what amounts to an act of sacrilege in
the estimation of the pious Hindoos. We venture to
call the attention of the Government to the facts here
stated, and wi. have DO doubt that due notice will be
taken id the judge's conduct..
The attention of Mr. Justice Norris baying been
rolled to the article, his L .rdship tut Wedoesday
stated in court that the account given of his action was
untrue in lett r and spine, and lamed a rule, calling
upon Ramcortnar De,. the printer and publisher. sod
Sorendro Nath B.nosrjels, editor of the Benvatoz, to
show cattle why they slim ii not be committed for
contempt. The rule came on for hearing on Friday
lent, before a Division of the Bench, consisting of the
Dblef Justice, and Justices Mitten, difcDonell,
Cunningham, and Norris. The printer in hi. affidavit
, stated that be was under contract to print the new.-
paper. He had no p 'per to prevent the insertion of
any mater weed by the editor. He was Imperfectly
acquainted with English, and had no Idea that the
article contained nnythiog contemptuous, and even
, had he known it he could not have prevented its
, appearing. Be expressed his regret, and threw him. ,
self on the mercy of the curt. dursndro Nath
Bannerjee's affi 'salt was more lengthy. He admitted
, that he had written the article. He haA accepted as
tine the etatemenis in the Broken() Public Opinion,
' and, in publishing them, had acted bona fide,
and, as he believed, in the Interests of the public good.
He was now satisfied thn: the statements were inaccu.
rate and misleading, and expressed regret at having
cast an undeserved slur upon Mr. Justice Norris. He
further submittal that the court had no jurisdiction
I to issue a rule, and that he had not had sufficient time;
, but his counsel, Mr. W. C. Bonnerjee, of the Calcutta
bar, declined to argue thew points, and asked the
court to deal leniently with the defendanti, who had
both expressed their regret. The defendants were
then required to find wcusity in 5,t:) rupees to appear
next day for judgment.
On Saturday the Chief Justice prononnoal judgment.
His lordship said that a gross contempt had been om•
mimed, and the defendants Mid acted wisely in not
attempting to justify an act which was wholly nojusti.
Sable. Their counsel had also acted wisely Is not
iosisting on the roint suggested in the affidavit—
namely, that the court hal no jurisdiction. The
attack on Mr. Justice Norris was scandalous, and
wholly indefensible. The defendant, Surendro
Bannerjee, had acted on the basis of a
statement in the .9.nallina Public Opinion, without
informing himself whether it wee true or false, acd
without even making any inquiry, It was
stile thing to find a gentletnim of his position and
attainments, who had owe been • member of the
Covenanted Civil Service, and who vraN now an
.