Administrative System of the Marathas c20.2

c20.2

We have at another place remarked that the Peshwas and the Chhatrapatis before them were not only the secular but also the ecclesiastical head of the state. They united to a certain extent the rights and prerogatives of the Pope and the Emperor. This peculiar position left its mark on the criminal laws of the time. Murder was to them not only a crime but a sin also. And as the crime had its legal punishment, the sin had its religious penance as prescribed by the Shastras. So a murderer even when pardoned had to perform the necessary Shastric penance. During the reign of Shahu Chhatrapati one Shidoji Raut murdered his concubine and cousin. At the intercession of his brother Shetyaji, Shidoji obtained a free pardon, but he was ordered to perform the Prayashchitta for cousin-murder.¹ An Abhayapatra granted to Shetyaji Raut : "Your brother Shidoji had a concubine and his cousin Bakaji induced her to commit adultery. They did not pay any attention to warning given once or twice. Thereupon Shidoji caught his concubine and cousin at the same place in his house and killed them. A written information was sent to the Huzur with a prayer for pardon. A free pardon is given, but he should get himself absolved of the sin of cousin-murder by performing Prayashchitta."