The Alipore Bomb Case (also known as the Manicktolla Conspiracy Case) involved a group of political prisoners who were convicted in 1909 for their involvement in a revolutionary plot against the British government in India. Some of the prisoners were sentenced to lifetime imprisonment, and the Bengal government proposed their deportation to the Andamans to keep them separate from ordinary criminals who might be influenced by their radical ideas. The Government of India accepted this proposal on the grounds that it was desirable to remove them from India.
Judgement and Sentences
The judgement in the Alipore Bomb Case was announced on April 6, 1909, and resulted in the following sentences:
Barindra Kumar Ghose, Ullaskar Dutt, Upendra Nath Banerjee, Bibhooti Bhusan Ray, Hrishikesh Kanjilal, and Birendra Chandra Sen were sentenced to death and had their property impounded.
Sudhir Kumar Sircar, Indra Nath Nandi, Abinash Chander Bhattacharjee, Salindra Nath Bose, Hem Chandra Dass, Indubhusan Roy, and Paresh Chander Mullick were sentenced to transportation for life and forfeiture of property.
Sisir Kumar Ghose, Nirapada Roy, Ashok Chander Nandy, and Bal Krishan Hari Kane were sentenced to transportation for seven years.
Sushil Kumar Sen and Krishto Jiban Sanyal were awarded rigorous imprisonment for one year each.
Aurobindo Ghose and fifteen others were acquitted.
Background of the Case
A group of young men, led by Barindra Kumar Ghose (the younger brother of Sri Aurobindo), formed the Jugantar Party and carried out mutinous activities at a garden house in Manicktola, an eastern suburb of Calcutta. Bhupan Dutt (the younger brother of Swami Vivekananda) and Ullaskar Dutt also joined the group.
After a bomb incident on April 30, 1908 in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, the police raided the Manicktola house and found inflammatory literature, explosives, arms, and detailed instructions on making higher explosives.
A case was registered and approximately thirty people, including Aurobindo Ghose, were arrested and charged with conspiracy to wage war against the king. C.R. Das served as the defense lawyer while Norton was the prosecutor. The trial took place from October 14, 1908 to March 4, 1909.
Appeal and Sentence Changes
The appeal in the Alipore Bomb Case was decided by the chief justice and Justice Carnduff of the Calcutta High Court on November 23, 1909. The following changes were made to the original sentences:
The death sentences of Barindra Kumar Ghose, Ullaskar Dutt, and Upendra Nath Banerjee were converted to transportation for life.
The transportation for life sentence of Hem Chandra Dass was maintained.
The death sentence of Bibhooti Bhusan Roy (Sircar) and Hrishikesh Kanjilal and the sentence of transportation for life of Indubhusan Roy were converted to transportation for ten years.
The transportation for life sentences of Sudhir Kumar Sircar, Abinash Chandra Bhattacharjee, and Paresh Chandra Mullick were reduced to seven years.
The transportation sentences of Sisir Kumar Ghose and Nirapada Roy were reduced to five years’ imprisonment.
Bal Krishan Hari Kane was acquitted, while Ashok Chander Nandy died during the pendency of the appeal.
Justice Harrington awarded transportation sentences of seven years to Birendra Chandra Sen and five years to Sailendra Nath Bose, and acquitted Indra Nath Nandi, Sushil Kumar Sen, and Krishto Jiban Sanyal due to disagreement among the judges in their cases.
Deportation to the Andamans
Barindra Kumar Ghose, Upendra Nath Banerjee, Hem Chandra Dass, and Ullaskar Dutt, who were sentenced to transportation for life, along with Indubhusan Roy, Bibhooti Bhusan Sircar, and Hrishikesh Kanjilal, who were sentenced to transportation for ten years, were deported to the Andamans.
Sudhir Kumar Sircar, Abinash Chandra Bhattacharjee, and Paresh Chandra Mullick, who were sentenced to seven years’ transportation, were also deported to the Andamans.
Sisir Kumar Ghose and Nirapada Roy, who were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, were not deported.
Birendra Chandra Sen, who was sentenced to seven years’ transportation, was also deported to the Andamans.
Conclusion
The Alipore Bomb Case involved a group of political prisoners who were convicted for their involvement in a revolutionary plot against the British government in India. Some of the prisoners were sentenced to lifetime imprisonment, and the Bengal government proposed their deportation to the Andamans. The Government of India accepted this proposal, and a number of the prisoners were deported to the Andamans. The appeal in the case resulted in some changes to the original sentences, with some prisoners being deported and others serving shorter prison sentences.
