Archive · 10 Aug 2026
Madhya Pradesh family gets UK response on 1917 war loan
Many years ago, in 1917, a businessman named Seth Jumma Lal Ruthia lived in a town called Sehore in India.
During World War I, he gave the British government 35,000 rupees to help pay for the war.
Back then, Britain ruled India, and the money was given through a political agent named WS Davis in Bhopal.
The family kept the old paper certificate showing the money was given on 4 June 1917.
The businessman died in 1937, and the family says the money was never paid back.
In 2026, 109 years later, his grandsons Vinay and Vivek Ruthia asked the British government what happened to the money.
They received what they believe is the first official reply from the UK's Debt Management Office.
The office asked them to send the original certificate and related letters so it can check its records, but it did not confirm whether the loan was repaid.
The family thinks that with interest, the loan could now be worth crores of rupees.
Vivek says it is no longer just about money — it is a 'matter of ego' to get an answer, like when someone borrows your toy and you want to know if they gave it back.
The Ruthia family of Sehore, Madhya Pradesh, lent ₹35,000 to the British government in 1917 to fund World War I expenses.
In 2026 — 109 years after the loan — the family received what it believes is the first official response from the UK's Debt Management Office (DMO).
The DMO asked the family's lawyer for copies of the original 1917 war loan certificate and related correspondence, without confirming or denying the claim.
Grandsons Vinay (65) and Vivek (63) Ruthia estimate the loan, at 5.5% interest over 109 years, could now be worth several crores of rupees.
Vivek Ruthia said the matter is no longer just about money but a 'matter of ego' to establish whether the loan was ever repaid or settled.
- Who
- Seth Jumma Lal Ruthia, a businessman from Sehore, lent the money in 1917; his grandsons Vinay (65) and Vivek (63) Ruthia are pursuing the claim through lawyer Shriyansh Raniwal.
- What
- The family received what it believes is the first official response from the UK's Debt Management Office, which asked for copies of the original 1917 war loan certificate and related correspondence.
- When
- The loan was made on 4 June 1917; a legal notice was sent in February and the response came in 2026, 109 years later.
- Where
- Sehore and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, India; the claim is directed at the UK's Debt Management Office in Britain.
- Why
- The family believes the ₹35,000 Indian War Loan was never repaid or settled and wants to establish what happened to the liability; Vivek Ruthia calls it a 'matter of ego.'
- Loan amount
- ₹35,000 (Indian War Loan)
- Loan date
- 4 June 1917
- Lender
- Seth Jumma Lal Ruthia, of the firm Seth Rama Kishan Jaskaran Ruthia, Sehore
- Recipient
- WS Davis, Political Agent in Bhopal, on behalf of the British government
- Lender's death
- 1937
- Official response
- Request from the UK Debt Management Office for the original certificate and correspondence (2026)
- Time elapsed
- 109 years (1917–2026)
- 2015 UK redemption
- £1.9 billion in WWI War Loan bonds
