The First Judicial Hanging in India: The tale of Raja Nanda Kumar
Explore the tale of Maharaja Nanda Kumar, the first judicial hanging in India under the British Raj on August 5th, 1775. Unveil the intricate dynamics of power, bribery, and judicial misconduct during the tenure of Warren Hastings,
There’s been a recent uptick in the locking up of anyone who dares to criticise the government of India. Journalists, social activists, even the odd writer, have found themselves on the receiving end of the authorities’ ire. However, this isn’t a new phenomenon in our country. Some historians suggest that even during the Gupta dynasty, ironically hailed as India’s golden era, rulers had a penchant for bumping off dissenters. Similar tales crop up during the Mughal rule. And, later, under the British Raj, we witnessed the first judicial hanging on August 5th, 1775, of Maharaja Nanda Kumar.
Maharaja Nanda Kumar, a Brahmin of the highest rank, had earned the confidence of the Murshidabad Durbar, holding several significant positions under native governments in Bengal. In 1758, he was recommended to Lord Robert Clive as the agent to collect revenues of Burdwan, Nadia, and Hooghly, which were assigned to the British East India Company by Mir Jaffar after the Battle of Plassey.
In 1772, Warren Hastings became the Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal, albeit with his powers clipped by a council of four members with equal authority. Nanda Kumar’s first clash with Hastings arose when, upon the accession of the twelve-year-old Mobaruck-ud-Dowlah as Nawab Nazim, he sought to ruin two powerful officials at Murshidabad, Muhammad Reza Khan and Rajah Sitab Roy. Although Hastings dismissed them in 1770, the allegations didn’t hold water.
The Clash with Warren Hastings
Nanda Kumar’s sidelining coincided with the arrival of Philip Francis in Calcutta, who presented a letter from Nanda Kumar accusing Hastings of accepting bribes. The council, divided, saw Francis and his chums favouring the investigation, while Hastings threw his toys out of the pram and dissolved the council in protest. Francis, Clavering, and Monson declared Hastings guilty of pocketing forty lakhs through underhand dealings, though Hastings’ supporters cried forgery by Nanda Kumar.
Amidst these charges, a longstanding forgery case against Nanda Kumar was brought before the newly established Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Elijah Impey, an old school chum of Hastings. Despite Hastings lodging a charge of conspiracy against Nanda Kumar, it never saw the light of day. Nanda Kumar was banged up in the Presidency Jail, located south of Maidan.
The Trial and Execution
The Supreme Court, seated in the Old Court House (now the site of St Andrew’s Church), arraigned Nanda Kumar in the summer of 1775. After an intense eight-day trial, the jury unanimously found him guilty on June 16, and on August 5, 1775, Nanda Kumar was strung up at Cooly Bazaar, near Fort William and modern Hastings Bridge. The well, ostensibly dug for his execution, allowed Nanda Kumar’s final wish to die near Adi Ganga, enabling his last rites to be performed at its ghats.
Nanda Kumar maintained his dignity throughout the trial and execution. Alexander Macrabie, the Sheriff of Calcutta, described how Nanda Kumar faced his fate with aplomb and cheerfulness, even asking the sheriff to let his servant tie the cloth over his face. Despite the seventy-year-old prisoner’s struggle with the stairs, he remained resolute.
The Aftermath and Legacy
The hanging caused horror among the native population, leading many Brahmin families to scarper from Calcutta in protest. Upon returning to England, Hastings faced trial for his role, while Impey faced impeachment for judicial misconduct. Though lambasted by figures like Edmund Burke and Lord Macaulay, Hastings was let off the hook after 19 years.
Today, the Victoria Memorial displays Nanda Kumar’s turban as a forgotten testament to a dark chapter in colonial history. I share the courageous tale of Nanda Kumar on the anniversary of his death as a reminder to all my fellow citizens of our past.
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