The Trial of Shama Charan Pal; An Illustration of Village Life in Bengal

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1897 Excerpt: ... of the Counsel for the defence, you cannot but find the prisoner guilty. ADDRESS OF THE COUNSEL FOR THE DEFENCE Mr. Maxomohan Ghose said: --Gentlemen Of The Jury: --It would be sheer affectation on my part to ignore the fact, which must be well known to every one of you, that, before the commencement of this trial, I had made an application for the transfer of the case, on the ground that a strong feeling existed among jurors in the neighbourhood of Howrah against the prisoner, chiefly by reason of his alleged victim being a Brahmin by caste. You have undoubtedly read of this application in the newspapers, and if you have done so, you must have also noticed that I did not think it necessary to press that application after the learned Judge intimated to me that he would summon as jurymen persons residing at some distance, and therefore less likely to be influenced by rumours prevailing in the immediate neighbourhood of the occurrence. I am sure none of you will do me the injustice of supposing that in attempting to get this case transferred, I intended, in the slightest degree, to cast any sort of reflection upon the system of trial by jury, which we have all learned to value so highly, or even on the body of honourable men whose names are to be found on the jury list of this district. My sole aim and object was to ensure for the prisoner a fair and impartial trial by a body of his countrymen who would not approach the consideration of the case with any sort of feeling or preconceived notion against the accused, but would fully realize the sacred character of the duty which the law imposed upon them, and who would listen to the evidence, uninfluenced in any way by the wild rumours which have been circulated by unthinking ignorant people, whose religious feelin.