1 Reasons for the release of
2 persons by the Depart:
3 ment.
4 Punishments awarded by
5 criminal courts.
6 EstaBLISHMENT.
7 Criminal offences com-
8 _ REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTHERN INDIA
9 were 13 cases, in which 44 persons were concerned, compared
10 with one in 1897-98 ; 22 persons were released3 and 22 were
11 successfully prosecuted in the courts of the Jodhpur State.
12 The cases were of a trivial nature, except two in which the
13 quantities of salt sought to be removed amounted to 3 maunds
14 and 14 maunds.
15 In the Internal Branch 1,153 persons were arrested, com-
16 pared with 1,232 in 1897-98 ; 648 persons were released by the
17 Department, and 465 persons were prosecuted. Two hundred
18 and forty-eight persons were arrested for the manufacture
19 of earth salt;-815 for producing salt illicitly on licensed
20 saltpetre factories, for smuggling salt from saltpetre refineries,
21 and for manufacturing saline substances without licenses ; and
22 90 for the possession of illicit salt. 224 maunds of salt and
23 234 maunds of saline substances were seized. There were
24 no cases of special importance.
25 _ At Didw4na and the Sultanpur Salt Works no case of
26 theft or smuggling of salt occurred during the year.
27 Reasons for the release by the Department of persons
28 charged with offences were as follows ;—-
29 1897-98, 1898-99,
30 No. No.
31 Infirm persons, pregnant women, and children ... 96 58
32 For making, or being in the possession of, less than
33 oue seer of salt eee ‘es we = 81, 588
34 On proof of ignorance or inadvertence, and for
35 want of sufficient evidence wes wwe «447 111
36 Total ov =1,056 757
37 |) eee
38 Particulars of the punishments inflicted by criminal courts
39 on persons prosecuted to conviction, will be found in Appen-
40 dix VIII. A synopsis of the information on the subject is
41 given below:— . ‘
42 Number lars | + Average
43 Year, imprisoned. feta aia : aye of
44 ment: nes.
45 “M.D. {ORs
46 1897-98... we we 296 1 9 234 9°48
47 1898-99, o- or) 319 1 10 234 rire
48 The average period of imprisonment did not vary materially
49 during the two years, but the average amount of fine was
50 smaller daring the year under report. Punishments were,
51 howeyer, sufficiently deterrent,
52 55. Four members of the establishment were punished
53 for criminal] offences during the year. In the czs-Indus Mines
54 mitted by members of Division, an officiating peon was detected in a theft of salt,
55 the establishment.
56 and was cenvicted and sentenced to imprisonment for one
57 month by a criminal court. At the Sambhar Lake, a peon
58 was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for stealing
59 salt;and two other peons were fined Rs. 20 and Rs. 10 for
60 accepting illegal gratifications from labourers employed in
61 the manufacture of salt, Apart from the above-mentioned
62 cases, the conduct of the establishment was satisfactory.
63 ( 44 )