Indian family seeks repayment of 109-year-old wartime loan to British government

An Indian family has approached the British government seeking repayment of a 35,000-rupee loan that it says its ancestor extended to the colonial administration during World War I—109 years ago.

The family of businessman Jummalal Ruthia, from Madhya Pradesh, claims he lent the money to the British government in 1917 to help fund the upkeep of Indian soldiers serving with British forces during the war. The family has presented historical documents, including a certificate dated June 4, 1917, as evidence of the transaction.

According to the Ruthia family, Jummalal provided the money through a British official working under the Bhopal Agency at the time. The family recently discovered records relating to the loan while examining its old documents and subsequently contacted the British government through a lawyer.

The family's claim is now being examined by the UK Debt Management Office (DMO). Authorities have requested additional documents and information from the family as part of the verification process.

Gautam Ruthia, Jummalal's great-grandson, said the family had received an email from British authorities requesting further details and indicating that the claim had been forwarded to the relevant department for review. The family is now submitting genealogical records, historical certificates and other documents to establish both the original transaction and its lineage to the present-day claimants.

The family says it intends to seek repayment not only of the original 35,000 rupees but also interest, compound interest and any other applicable costs. The total amount being claimed, however, has yet to be calculated.

For the Ruthias, the claim is about more than money. They say it is also an attempt to preserve and establish a piece of their family's history and inheritance.

The British government repaid part of a large volume of historic wartime debt in 2015. However, it remains unclear whether the Ruthia family's claim is connected to the debt repaid at that time. Historical records from 1917 will need to be matched against British government archives before any decision can be made on the family's claim.

Whether the Ruthia family will ultimately recover the century-old loan remains uncertain.

Source: BBC