The British extortionist who built Bombay

Book review of The Arthur Crawford Scandal: Corruption, Governance and Indian Victims

In July 2018, Parliament passed the Prevention of Corruption Act that, among other things punished the bribe giver with incarceration of up to seven years. This provision was hailed as a step towards curbing corruption in a country notorious for it. So what can possibly go wrong when you go after the bribe givers and treat them on a par with the bribe takers? A scandal in British India involving the first municipal commissioner of Bombay, Arthur Crawford, could well provide insights into that. Former US ambassador Michael D. Metelits’ book  The Arthur Crawford Scandal: Corruption, Governance and Indian Victims