Administration under Gulab Singh

Administration under Gulab Singh 

I. Introduction

II. Reorganisation of Administration

III. Revenue Department

IV. Police

V. Judicial system

VI. Suppression of crime

I. Introduction 

Gulab Singh the founder of the Dogra dynasty of Jammu and Kashmir, was born in the year 1792 (5th Kartik 1849 Bikrami Samvat). He was son of Kasur Singh, a grandson of Sarup Singh, one of the brother of Raja Ranjit Dev of Jammu , whose descendents ruled Jammu till its occupation by the Sikhs in 1809 A.D. Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab, mentioned the fact of Gulab Singh's ancestors having been the rulers of the principality Raja Dhrou Deo was a Rajput prince of the Suryavansi (Solar) dynasty who ruled over Jammu in the 18th century. In 1811 A.D., Gulab Singh left his native country for Lahore. He entered Maharaja Ranjit Singh's service as a mere trooper. In 1820A.D. pleased by Gulab Singh's meritorious services in various expeditions in Kashmir, North-west provinces in general, Maharaja Ranjit Singh granted him Jammu in Jagir. In 1822 the administration of Jammu was finally transferred to Gulab Singh. Once installed in Jammu, Gulab Singh preferred to spend most of his time there. He quickly and shrewdly extended his authority. He entered upon a policy of expansion and consolidation of his power and extended his authority to Ladakh and Baltistan between 1834 A.D and 1841 A.D. After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839 A.D, he became the most important and influential figure in Lahore Darbar's politics. In 1846 A.D. he rose to the position of a minister of the Sikh Govt. The Sikh army crossed the Satluj against his advice and was defeated in the first Anglo-Sikh war. Gulab Singh used his influence in tackling the difficult task of negotiating the treaty of Lahore (1846A.D) which was essentially from a position of weakness. By one of the terms of this treaty, Kashmir with its dependencies was ceded to the British. The latter in their turn handed Kashmir to Gulab Singh for a sum of seventy five lakh rupees by the treaty of Amritsar signed on March 16, 1846. Gulab Singh was given the title of Maharaja and he, thus became the Maharaja of J&K. He was an able administrator and consolidated his authority in his state. 
Administration under Gulab Singh It was not easy job for Gulab Singh to look after an administration which had gone from bad to worse in the time of Sikhs especially under the last two Sikhs Governors, Mohi-ud-Din and Imam-ud-Din. At the beginning of his rule in Kashmir Gulab Singh was faced with the same conditions that so many rulers had faced for centuries in the state; the economy in Shambles; burdensome taxes, minimum agricultural production, frequent religious conflicts and incursions into the valley by discounted or fortune-seeking neigbours. The Shawl industry which was the main source of livelihood for the people was taxed very heavily. Reckless governors had given away much of the land in the valley as rent-free concessions, forced labour told upon the peasantry, sati and infanticide were common, robbers infested the will. Soon after the occupation of Kashmir, Maharaja Gulab Singh undertook the difficult task of reorganization of the administration and improving the economic conditions of his subjects. 

II. Reorganisation of Administration 

The Dogra kingdom was divided into several provinces, including Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh, each of which was administered by a governor in the name of the Maharaja. Every province was in turn divided into several parganas (districts). The top officials in each pargana were the zilahdar (district officer), the thanadar (police officer), and the qanungo (revenue officer). These officials were responsible for maintaining peace and collecting revenues in the area under their jurisdiction. Gulab Singh did many reforms for the Civil administration of his dominations. The Chief Departments which the Maharaja started were revenue and police administration. 

III. Revenue Department 

Revenue Department whose Chief officials and office bearer in Kashmir were four wand- wales (collectors), thirty-six Kardars and a body of Mokdams (Numberdars). The divisional agreement of Kashmir into 36 Parganas or tracts of land which owes its origin to time immemorial, induced the Maharaja to have appointed one Kardar for one Paragna, 12 of whom were placed by him under the immediate control of one wand-wala who including three other wand-wala, making together four in number, were directly supervised by the Maharaja. But the Divisional Revenue deptt. of Jammu Province was placed solely under the management of his able wazir, the famous Dewan Jawala Sahai, who in addition to his being the Prime Minister of the state, was even the Provincial Supreme Head of that Department. The four wards or divisions appointed in Kashmir for the supervision of the Kardars, were named Maraj, Shehar-i-Khas, Kruhin-Bangil and Kamraj and their head quarters were respectively Anantnag, Srinagar, Pattan and Sopore. The first wand-walas were wazir Punoo, Pandit Raja Kak, Mian Amir Singh and Dewan Arjan Mal. IInd - another Deptt. of the Maharaja after the fashion of the great Mughal of Delhi was named Daftar-i-Dewani. All accounts belonging to each and every Deptt. of the state were kept, checked, audited bythis office, not less strictly and properlythan the Accountant- Generals, officer of the present day. The third administrative machinery of Maharaja Gulab Singh was called Daftar-i- Nizamat, which kept land records village after village, throughout the State, and gave him full information about the condition of the Zamindars, as well as about the treatment which they received at the hands of those persons, to whom they paid their land revenue, or who had any other supremacy over them in transacting other business. 

IV. Police  

The fourth contribution set out by the Maharaja was the revival of the old Hindu system of maintaining internal peace and preventing and suppressing crime and gang-robbery by appointing Kotwals and Thanadars. A Kotwal was the name of the chief guardian of peace appointed by the Maharaja in a city or a town, but when he was posted in the suburb to take charge of a Parganah, he was called a thanadar. Every Pargana in addition to a Kardar had its guardian of peace in a Thanadar who in addition to his duty as a maintainer of peace like a police officer of the modern time. He also administer justice within the Pargana or jurisdiction in every case of any description which took place between the two parties. He also had to serve as a n agent to collect Beggaries as well as medium between Sarkar and Royat to supply grain, wood, and other necessaries or the state service, and also other state business. 

V. Judicial system 

It was only during the reign of Maharaja Gulab Singh that the judicial system of this northernmost state of British India received its first footing and sincere patronage, although there no apparent sign of change in the existing judicial administration. Infact, the administration of the justice in this state between 1846 and 1889 was rather primitive and ill-organised. Maharaja Gulab Singh could not organize the administrative machinery because of his frontier wars and other pre-occupations. The officials were not required to record any statement of proceeding. Cases were usually lodged, committed, represented and decided verbally. The Thanadars and Kotwals, whose duties were to suppress crimes, served as the lowest court within their respective jurisdictions. At the other end was the Maharaja, the highest court of Justice, who was easy accessible and ready to listen to complaints. The Kardars whose main duty was to collect land revenue also disposed of petty civil and criminal cases. Nevertheless, if any party was not satisfied with the judgement Kardar, Kotwal or Thanadar or any other officials he was at liberty to submit an appeal to the Maharaja. The easiest way for him was to go direct to his court during his office hours. No sooner the eye of the Maharaja had caught any person praying by the use of his arm for the favour of permission to see him, he sent one of his orderlies to bring him in his presence. He was not required to pay any court fee for presenting his case. With the customary offering of a rupee one could get his attention drawn amidst a crowd even by shouting, "Maharaja, arz hai", that is, 'Maharaja, a petition'. It was widely known that Gulab Singh never lost his patience while hearing a case. He passed his judgement, at the same time according to his merits, and often rebuked the original court or authority for his having failed in doing justice to the appellant. Gulab Singh believed that it was his sacred duty to administer justice. Officials-in- charge of the administration of justice tried their best to be true to their duty because they knew well that an appeal submitted to the Maharaja, if went against their prior judgement, might earn them a bad name and invite as well his displeasure. They were therefore not interested in laws and procedures but wanted justice to be administered so fairly that no party might submit to him an appeal. Gulab Singh was a man universally feared by the people. His methods of judicial administration were both crude and primitive. For those guilty of murder the punishment was azhab, which meant amputation of limb before hanging one to death. The flaying alive of thieves had its effect as a deterrent. K.M Pannikar writes, "His justice was rude but it was expeditious. He toured the state often and was relentless in his punishment of corrupt and tyrannical officials. His summary methods in dealing with them made him a terror to the tribe of petty functionaries". 

VI. Suppression of crime 

Gulab Singh took many stern action to suppress all the crime and gang-robbery by appointing Kotwals and Thanadars to restore peace and order in his empire. He launched an extensive expedition against burglars and garrotters and Galabans (the professional robbers of horses). He captured their leaders, and got them executed publicly after a summary trial. Their dead bodies were kept suspended from the gallows for months together to create terror in the minds of law breakers. He also drove out the Bombas and Khokhas (local hill tribes) from the valley and stationed strong garrison in the forts for the guarding the passes. Every effort was made to root out crime from the country and to encourage trade and commerce.