History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c12.s1.25.3

c12.s1.25.3

He speaks of another disturbance at ‘Alāpūr near Gwalior, where the Hindus hoisted the flag of revolt and slew the local governor Badr Habshi or Abyssinian who was a valiant soldier but an oppressive ruler.¹³³ The local governors often did as they pleased and freely oppressed the people under their charge as long as they successfully ingratiated themselves with the court. Frequently he was furnished with a *carte blanche* by the central power, as is illustrated by the dealings of ‘Imad-al-Mulk Sartez, the governor of Multan with the grandson of Rukn-al-Din.¹³⁴ It is true, the Sultan severely punished the contumacious conduct of governors and subjects alike; but where his eyes could not reach, matters were usually managed to suit the convenience of the local despot. It is unnecessary to refer to the brutalities of the legal system, for in the middle ages the laws were cruel and laid down drastic penalties for the most trivial offences. The idea of punishment as a means of reforming the wrongdoer has been a slow conquest of civilised jurisprudence, and in the middle ages men attached no importance to the value of human life and freely practised mutilation and torture. Imprisonment was seldom resorted to. Possibly it was considered a waste of money to feed criminals at the expense of the state. Muhammad was sternly just, but he was terribly cruel in his punishments, and as long as he lived, he enforced his commands with the utmost severity.