Modern Hyderabad (Deccan)/Chapter 5
CHAPTER V.
The Administration To-day.
The area of the Hyderabad State is 82,698 square miles, and the land is thus divided :
Sarf-i-khas, or crown land, which is privately owned by H. H. the Nizam.
Paigah land, belonging to the descendants of the late Sir Asman Jah, Sir Khurshed Jah, and Sir Vikar-ul-Umara, a sort of feudal tenure for the maintenance of troops for the Nizam's service.
Jagir land. Gifts of land made by former Nizams as royal gifts, or for the support of troops for the Nizam's use.
Khalsa, or government land.
The Sarf-i-khas, Paigah, and Jagir lands make up one-third of the whole area of the State, and in speaking of the administration, revenue, etc., it must be clearly understood that only the Khalsa or Government land is referred to in this book.
And it must not be forgotten that a Nizam is in his State absolute. So far the present ruler has shewn no inclination to interfere with government revenue, which pays for the administration, the Courts of Justice, the State army, the Public Service, etc. His Highness is much too intelligent and enlightened a ruler to jeopardise the good government of the State, the loyalty of his subjects, and the good- will of the Government of India by such a course of conduct. With other Nizams it has. however, been different; and it is well to bear in mind that the powers of the ruler of Hyderabad are almost limitless, not only as regards Paigah and Jagir lands, where he can give or take away as he pleases, and Sarf-i-khas lands, which he rules as a private landlord, but also concerning the lands and the revenue of the government. His Highness can, and does, banish from his Dominions such persons as seem to him to be undesirable residents; he appoints guardians and directors for his young nobles; and if a Jagirdar is oppressing the ryots, he suspends or deposes the offender. But he does not touch what may be called "public monies," although he is cognisant and gives his consent to all that is done with them. He receives yearly from the government revenue O. S. rupees 50,00,000 (since he came to the gadi the Halli Sicca rupee has been re-named, and it is now called the Osmania Sicca rupee) as "stipends and allowances;" and State receptions and entertainments are paid for out of government funds. He is probably the wealthiest man in India, for the Sarf-i-khas lands include the city of Hyderabad and the Atraf-i-balda, or suburbs of the city, and he has shooting preserves that remind us of the days of William Rufus.
In order to appreciate the true position of H. H. the Nizam, let us imagine the Governor of the Madras Presidency holding a life appointment, and having for his private use the customs of the city of Madras and its suburbs, absolute control over the ruling chiefs, rajas and zemindars in Southern India, and the power to appropriate the whole of the Madras Presidency, which (the Coromandel coast and Coimbatore being excluded) is of the same size as H. H. the Nizam's Dominions.
History shows that sometimes Viceroys and Governors in British India have been inflated by the limited and constitutional powers that they possess; and if we would judge such a ruler as a Nizam justly, then we must not forget that he wields the powers enjoyed by Richard the Second of England, and the Government of India is to him very much what the Pope was to that impulsive monarch.
The following description of His Highness's powers as regards government affairs is taken from an administration report written by Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad Bahadur while he was Prime Minister.
"The administrative control of all State affairs is understood to rest with His Excellency the Minister, but in actual practice no action involving consequences of an important and permanent character is taken without the knowledge of His Highness, and his command is alone final in the last resort. No new law or regulation can be introduced, and no existing law or regulation can be altered, without the sanction of His Highness. No grant can be made of State lands or of any recurring allowance from State funds, no transfer of any existing State grant in lands or cash, either by inheritance or sale, mortgage or gift, can be made otherwise than with the permission of His Highness. No fresh expenditure of a recurring or unusual character can be made from State funds, no loan can be granted from the government treasury, no fresh tax or impost can be introduced otherwise than with His Highness's sanction. The same authority is needed for creating any new post in government service, carrying a salary of more than Rs. 500. No European can be appointed to the State service, nor can any one be granted the rank of commissioned officer in the State army, without His Highness's permission. Death sentences can be carried out only after the confirmation of the Nizam."
This was written while His Highness the late Nizam was on the gadi, and it is only necessary to add that the present ruler of Hyderabad has made himself intimately acquainted with the working of each State department, that he has a thirst for public affairs, and that he shews a determination to master every detail of government business. But he relies on the advice of those who have spent many years in the government service, and when His Excellency Nawab Salar Jung III was made Prime Minister, he appointed as Special Adviser to His Excellency one of his own earliest tutors, Nawab Imud-ul-Mulk Bahadur, and continued in his position as Political Secretary to Government and Private Secretary to H. E. the Minister, Nawab Faridoon Jung Bahadur, who is, no doubt, a great diplomatist.
And this is an appropriate place, I think, in which to briefly describe the two remarkable men who have played such important parts in the administration of the Hyderabad State during the past two years.
Nawab Imud-ul-Mulk Bahadur, C.S.I. The family of Nawab Imud-ul-Mulk Bahadur is said to have come to India about 1217 A.D., with Muhammad Ghori, the Afghan conqueror, and to have settled in Oudh. His father was deputy collector and deputy magistrate in various parts of Bengal and Behar. He was born at Gya, in 1844, and after being educated in various schools and colleges in Calcutta, where he graduated in the first class from the Hare Academy, he chose the educational service for his career, and he was appointed professor of Arabic in the Canning College at Lucknow.
When Sir Salar Jung visited Lucknow in 1872, that great statesman perceived the possibilities of the young professor of Arabic, and offered him an appointment in Hyderabad. Thither he went in 1873, and ever since his life has been devoted to the State, his adopted home. In 1876 he accompanied Sir Salar Jung to England, and on his return to Hyderabad, he was appointed Private Secretary to His Excellency the Minister and Secretary to Government in the Miscellaneous Department, which had, among other things, control over State education. From that time the education of both sexes absorbed much of his attention, and he set himself the task of adapting " all that is best in Western education to the needs of an Eastern people." To the teachers under his control, he gave the motto "kindness and discipline/' and so highly did H. H. the late Nizam think of him as an educationist that he was appointed one of the earliest tutors of the present ruler.
At this time he compiled with Mr. M. C. Wilmott an "Historical and Descriptive Sketch of the Nizam s Dominions;" and shortly after the death of Sir Salar Jung I, he wrote a biography of that great man. He was, afterwards, much sought after to fill public appointments outside Hyderabad State, as well as in it. In 1900 he presided over the Mahomedan Educational Conference, and later he was selected as a member of the Universities Commission, which had for its object "an attempt to discover a remedy for the evils that had arisen in British India from grafting a Western education upon an Eastern people." He was then chosen by Lord Curzon to serve on the Imperial Legislative Council, and in 1907 he was appointed the first Mahomedan Member of the Council of the Secretary of State for India. In 1908 he was made a Companion of the Star of India, and it was believed that he would do much good for his co-religionists in London. But the English climate did not suit his health and he returned to Hyderabad, where, after the sad and unexpected death of H. H. Mir Mahabub Ali Khan, he was appointed Special Adviser to H. E. the Minister, Nawab Salar Jung Bahadur III, a position he held until his retirement on the 20th of July, 1914.
Nawab Imud-ul-Mulk Bahadur is by nature and inclination a scholar. He prefers a simple and retired life. But has never failed to come forward when needed and to give his time, talents, and great experience to H. H. the Nizam and to the people of his adopted land. To-day he is busy with his magnum opus, a translation of the Koran into English. He objects to publicity of any sort, but his important position and distinguished career render it necessary that some record of his life should be written, and we can only hope that when this appears, it will do him justice.
Nawab Faridoon Jung Bahadur, c.s.i., c.i.e., Political Secretary to Government and Private Secretary to H. E. the Minister.
Nawab Faridoon Jung Bahadur is, perhaps, the most interesting person in H. H. the Nizam's Dominions. Born in the Aurangabad District, in September 1849, he has risen through the various grades of the Government service to the unique position that he holds to-day. He has served under six administrations and has acted as Private Secretary to five Prime Ministers — Sir Salar Jung II, Sir Asman Jah, Sir Vikar-ul-Umara, Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad Bahadur, and H. E. Nawab Salar Jung Bahadur III. Shrewdness, tact, commonsense, politeness, loyalty, and patience seem to be his chief characteristics. From intrigue of every sort he has always held aloof, and, in consequence, he has received the confidence of two Nizams and of five successive Prime Ministers. An easy and somewhat cynical nonchalance characterises him; and being kind-hearted and courteous, he has made many friends and few enemies during the long period that he has held his important office. The knowledge of the State and State affairs that Nawab Faridoon Jung possesses to-day makes him invaluable to H. H. the Nizam and to His Highness's Government, and his marvellous capacity to say and do the right thing on the spur of the moment — well to few do the gods give these gifts in such a happy combination.
As the friend and admirer of England, Nawab Faridoon Jung is an Imperial asset; and the link he makes between the Mahomedans and the English in Hyderabad and Secunderabad prevents friction or misunderstanding. In recognition of his valuable services to the Hyderabad State, the British Government has conferred on him the distinction of being a Companion of the Order of the Star of India and of the Indian Empire. He is at present one of the most trusted councillors of the Nizam, and the leading statesman in Hyderabad, as well as the most influential of His Highness the Nizam's subjects. As regards the administration, I will continue to quote from the administration report of Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad Bahadur : —
The Political Department, including all correspondence between the Hon'ble the Resident and His Highness's Government, is in the charge of the Minister, and in this department all dealings between the Government of India and His Highness the Nizam's Government are carried on. The Minister is assisted in the work of administration by four assistant ministers, who administer, subject to his control, the various departments entrusted to their charge. The powers of the assistant ministers are strictly limited by rule, and their orders, for the most part, require to be confirmed by the Minister before they can take effect. The assistant ministers have charge of the judicial, the military, the financial and the miscellaneous departments.
The revenue department is directly under the Minister and is controlled by a Director-General.
The departmental secretaries, who have been called "the pivot of the administration in Hyderabad State" hold positions of great importance, and are in charge of the financial, revenue, judicial, public works, and military secretariats.
The Cabinet Council. In 1893 A.D. the consultative body known as the Cabinet Council was added to the institutions of the State. Its President is the Minister, and its members are the assistant ministers. This Council was formed chiefly to assist and advise the Minister in matters of State administration, and it lies in his discretion to refer to it for deliberation any proposal upon which he desires the Council's advice. Also, any assistant minister has the right of asking that any proposal of his may be laid before the Cabinet Council, though the Minister has the right of refusal, subject to His Highness's final commands.
In addition, certain classes of business have been specially reserved for the consideration of the Council, such as the annual State Budget of accounts, final disposal of cases for the report on which special commissions have been appointed, questions relating to State concessions, and important questions arising out of the proceedings of the Legislative Council, and any other matters which from time to time are declared fit subjects for the Council's deliberations. The President of the Council (His Excellency the Minister) has the right of over-ruling any decision arrived at by a majority of the Council, in anticipation of His Highness's sanction.
The Legislative Council was established in 1893 A.D.
The Council is composed of a President, a Vice-President, and seventeen members. The Minister is the President, and the assistant minister of the department, in connection with which any Bill may be under the consideration of the Council, acts as Vice-President during the discussion of such Bill. Of the members, three are ex-officio, namely, the Chief Justice of the Hyderabad High Court, the judicial secretary to government, and the legal adviser. The remaining fourteen are appointed by the Minister for a space of two years at a time, but any of them is eligible for re-appointment at the end of that period. Of these, eight are government officials and six are non-officials. Two of the non-official members must be holders of jagirs or other hereditary rights, free from encumbrances, and yielding a net annual income of Rs. 6,000 and must be selected by the holders of such jagirs or rights in the State, from amongst their number. The other members must be similarly elected by the High Court pleaders from amongst themselves. Of the remaining two non-official members one must be chosen from each of the three Paigah Illakas by turn and one from the general public.
The legal adviser, besides being a member, acts as the secretary of the Council.
No bill or motion affecting the public revenues, or the religion of any class of His Highness's subjects, or the organisation and discipline of His Highness's troops, or the relation of His Highness's Government with the British Government, or the Act relating to the Legislative Council, can be introduced without the previous permission of the Minister. Other bills passed by the Council and approved by the Minister can come into force at once. His Highness, however, has the right to order the repeal or amendment of any enactment. In undertaking any legislative measure, the Council is bound to be guided by the principles of Mahomedan law, the tenets of the Hindu shastras, the special laws of every community residing in His Highness's Dominions, the customs and usages having the force of law and the jurisprudence of British India or other civilised countries. No Act of the Council, nor any power granted to it, can in any way affect the rights and prerogatives of His Highness as the supreme ruler of the State.
The Four Divisions of the State. For administrative purposes, the State is divided into four divisions — Aurangabad, Medak, Gulbarga, and Warangal — and each division is under a revenue commissioner, called the "Subedar." The divisions are further divided into sixteen districts, including the Sarf-i-khas district, and each district is under a magistrate or collector, called a talukdar. The districts are sub-divided into talukas and tahsils, each under a sub-divisional officer, called second or third talukdar, according to his grade in the service ; and two or three talukas are placed under a tahsildar. And each village has its patel or head man. More will be said concerning these matters later on.