Court with $45 Costs Unique in the history of H. M. Supreme Court for China was an Indian case heard yesterday before Judge P. Grant Jones, in which a Sikh woman, Kishan Kor@ was sued for an alleged debt, by Tahl Singh. It is considered a great disgrace, by Sikhs, for one of their women to be sued, or appear in court, the only precedent here being during a murder trial, in which one witness was a Sikh woman.
The plaintiff claimed $32. which he alleged was lent on July 5, 1940, as a friendly loan, he not receiving receipt, or charging interest. The defendant, represented by Mr. Ranald G. McDonald, had judgment entered for her, with $45 costs, the. plaintiff being unable to substantiate his claim by witnesses.
Called to the witness-box, Tahl Singh told the court that defendant came to his hut on July 5 and asked bim to lend her $32, not telling her sons, by whom she is supported. This he agreed to do, giving her the money then as a friendly loan, receiving no receipt. Cross-examined by Mr. McDonald, plaintiff denied that he was a money-lender, saying that he was a watchman at a Japanese mill. He said that he had known defendant for some four or five years. He admitted having been involved in an altercation with Kishan Kore's two sons on a later occasion, but denied having said, "I will sue your mother in court if Gurnam Singh gets this job", referring to an attempt by the younger son to obtain a post superior to his at the same place. When plaintiff stood down from the witness-box, Judge Grant Jones said, "His story has impressed me as one of truth."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.