Spreading the Net

Chapter 2 examines the manner in which the Government of Bombay, convinced of Crawford’s guilt, sought testimonial and documentary evidence, mainly through Indian officials called ‘mamlatdars’. Those officials had to confess under oath that they had paid money for career favours. At law, this constituted bribery of a government official. Confessing this in court under oath was contrary to their best interests, but the presidency government found a way to secure their testimony. Nevertheless, the process of making an evidentiary case was fraught with problems.