adkwah were formally considered in his
presence. It may be said that this proceeding was a farce, and it is
probably true that a favoured viceroy could laugh at any ordinary
accusation against his character. But that would be an exceptional case.
Many Dadkwahs were reduced in official rank, for malpractices, and some,
such as Yakoob Beg's own half-brother, were removed for incompetence in
their charges. Side by side, too, with the Dadkwah, ruled the Kazi or
Judge, who, if of course not on a par in rank with the viceroy, was
still invested with complete authority in all legal decisions on crime.
This prominence given to the legal authorities had a good effect on the
public mind, for, although the Kazi, as a rule, might not dare to thwart
the wishes of the Dadkwah, the effect of the law being supreme was
scarcely detracted from. And what was that law? it may naturally be
asked. Precisely the same as the law of every other Mahomedan state,
with a few innovations traceable to the influence of the Chinese. The
Shariat, the holy code of the Prophet followed in all the Sunni states,
was enforced by Yakoob Beg, with particular severity; and in its working
no sense of mercy was permitted to temper the harshness of its
regulations. Crimes committed by women were punished with greater
inflictions than the same committed by men; and the ordinary
punishments, whipping, mutilation, and torture could be inflicted by
order of the Dadkwah. Only in capital cases had the decision to rest
with the sovereign. Thieves, beggars, and vagrants found wandering about
the streets at prohibited hours were immediately locked up, and brought
before the Kazi, who would either administer a caution, or a whipping,
if the accused had previously offended. Another check on the abuse of
power by the officials was to be found in the following regulation. A
charge to be visited with a severer punishment than twenty heavy strokes
from the _dira_--a leather strap, fixed in a wooden handle--had to be
investigated by a member of each official rank; so the Kazi passed a
culprit on, with his comments, to the Mufti, the Mufti to the Alim, and
the Alim to the Dadkwah. If any of these officials dissented from the
remarks of his subordinate, and the matter was found impossible to
arrange by mutual concessions, it was either referred to the sovereign
for solution, or was permitted to fall through. The Dadkwah had also to
be present at every punishment within his jurisdict