The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India c9.s3.19

c9.s3.19

The exaction of official perquisites or gratuities was the universal and admitted practice. Official corruption was, however, admitted in society to be immoral, and there were many officers above corruption. But the receiving and even demanding of presents by men in power was the universal rule and publicly acknowledged. Nur Jahans father, when prime minister under Jahangir, was shameless in demanding presents. So also was Jafar Khan, one of the early Wazirs of Aurangzeb. Jai Singh offered a purse of Rs.30,000 to the Wazir for inducing the emperor to retain him in the Deccan command. Bhimsen expresses his disgust at having to pay everybody at Court in order to get or retain a petty civil office. The qazis grew enormously rich by taking bribes, the most notorious of them being Abdul Wahab. So also did many *sadars*. Even the emperor was not exempt from it. Aurangzeb asked an aspirant to a title, Your father gave to Shahjahan one lakh of rupees for adding *alif* to his title and making him Amir Khan. How much will you pay me for the title I am giving you?⁶⁵ Qabil Khan in two-and-a-half years of personal attendance on Aurangzeb amassed 12 lakhs of rupees in cash, besides articles of value and a new house for selling to suppliants his good offices. As Jadunath Sarkar says, this pressure was passed from the emperor downwards; each social grade trying to sqeeze out of the class below itself what it had to pay as present to the rank above it, the cultivator of the soil and the trader being the victims in the last resort.⁶⁶