Fall of the Mughal Empire v3.c35.s6.5

v3.c35.s6.5

From 12th June 1774 to 21st April 1775 Mirza Najaf remained in Delhi; all his energy paralysed by Court intrigues, and the utmost he could do was to keep his head above the water. The Emperor demanded from him (i) a division of his new conquests with his sovereign, (ii) the delivery of Agra fort to the Emperor’s nominee, and (iii) the reduction of his army to a number consistent with his rank as a servant. The other causes of friction were (iv) Najaf Khan’s wilful use of the Chancellor’s seal (entrusted to him by Shujā who had made him Deputy Wazir) and granting sanads for lands and offices without consulting the sovereign, and (v) his seduction of Sombre from the Emperor’s service to his own.