[Letter to N G Ranga]

Summary

This five-page English archival correspondence file, dated 15 November 1964, concerns Bombay High Court Suit No. 71 of 1964, Central Bank of India Ltd. v. Raja Bahadur Kamakhya Narain Singh. Nanu Hormasjee & Co., solicitors in Bombay, write to Prof. N. G. Ranga and separately to S. V. Raju on behalf of their client. The suit seeks a declaration that Rs. 1,57,060, interest and costs are due, and that 33 jeeps described in Exhibit B were validly hypothecated to the plaintiffs.

The correspondence records a dispute over responsibility for the transaction. The defendant denies personal liability and argues that the transaction was undertaken for and on behalf of the Swatantra Party, which should alone be liable. The solicitors ask Ranga whether he will travel to Bombay to give evidence at the scheduled hearing. Ranga’s draft reply states that his limited knowledge does not support the contention that the transaction was on behalf of the Swatantra Party, and says that he cannot attend unless summoned by the Bombay High Court itself. The file also contains the original envelope, a clean copy of the solicitor’s letter, and the draft reply.

Key points

• The file documents correspondence dated 15 November 1964 relating to Bombay High Court Suit No. 71 of 1964.
• Central Bank of India Ltd. claims Rs. 1,57,060, interest, costs and declaratory relief against Raja Bahadur Kamakhya Narain Singh.
• The bank also seeks confirmation that 33 jeeps were validly hypothecated as security for the claim.
• The defendant denies liability and attributes the transaction to the Swatantra Party.
• Nanu Hormasjee & Co. considers N. G. Ranga’s evidence relevant and material to the case.
• Ranga rejects the suggestion that his knowledge supports the claim that the Swatantra Party was liable.
• Ranga declines to attend the 17 November hearing unless called by the Bombay High Court itself.