A 109-year-old war loan certificate has revived a Madhya Pradesh family’s efforts to determine whether a debt from British India was ever repaid.
Sehore resident Vivek Ruthia, 63, said the UK’s Debt Management Office sought copies of the original certificate and related correspondence. His legal team is preparing the documents, renewing the family’s hope of finding out what happened to the money.
The dispute centres on a June 4, 1917 certificate showing Seth Jumma Lal Ruthia subscribed Rs 35,000 to the Indian War Loan during World War I. The certificate, signed by Political Agent W S Davis, has remained with the family for over a century. Ruthia says there is no repayment record and estimates its value could exceed Rs 10 crore today, though this is unverified.
Ruthia is consulting lawyers but has not filed a case. Experts cite hurdles such as limitation laws, sovereign immunity and jurisdiction. Britain’s 2015 repayment of £1.9 billion in wartime bonds does not confirm that this certificate remains payable.
