Report On The Administration Of Criminal Justice In The Punjab And Its Dependencies, During The Year 1870

· 1871 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

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230. Offences relating to sEorests have suddenly risen from* 10 to 1838.

3Nearly all the prosecutions were in the Rdwul Pindi and Kangra Districts :

4in the former 912 pérsons were prosecuted, and in the latter 907, for mischief

5to forests by fire.

631. The Deputy Commissioner of Kangra explains that these 90fpersons

7were all punished in ‘one case for not having assisted in stopping a conflagration

8in certain Government Forests.

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1032. Under the Police Act and Municipal Acts a much larger number of

11persons have been punished than in the previous year.

1233. <Affrays continue steadily to decrease. The number of persons

13brought to trial for this offence in 1870 was 25 per cent.

14Non-bailable offences in

15which a decrease is observ- fewer than in 1869. Too much stress however must

16ce hot be placed on this fact, as the line between assaults and

17affrays is not very distinct: the two classes must be considered together. It has

18been noticed above that assaults have increased. It seldomgoccurs that a formal

19complaint is madt regarding an affray. It is possible that many cases formerly

20classed, as “ affrays,’*are treated as coynter-complaints of assault.

2134. The number of persons prosecuted under the Stamp Act, was 1,266

22in 1869, 737 in 1870. One offieer — a decrease in this head to the fact

23that the provisions of the new Stamp Actare much more ximple and intelligible,

24tending to make mistakes and omissions fewer.

2535. As regards the effect of ,the dimimution of the Court fee on com-

26Effect of rednocd foe on Plaints, a majority of officers arc of opinion that the

27A aes lowering of the stamp charged has not resulted in ¢n-

28creasing the number of institutions, or are unable to detect any such result.

29The Commissioner of Dilhi thinks that in retaining the heavier fec, “a revenue

30could be raised by a tax on anger, without refusing justice to the injured.”

31Several officers however have ascribed an inerease of institutions to the

32reduced fee,

3336. 4t appears doubtful whefher Courts hear in mind the provision of

34Section 31 of the Court Fees’ Act, whicl! provides for the recovery and refifnd

35to complainant of the value of stamp on convictioy.

36e . e * ®

3737. The return showing the agency by which the criminal work was°

38performed, shows that the proportion of cases disposed of

39by Native.Magistrates has increased trom 61 to 66 per cent. ;

40agile gle ice lc ante pielecaieinpboaat Stieedpehoensinepaccaaaiaag

41# Number of persons.

42Ag@ncy.

43— Reaeoe