Hari Singh I of Kashmir

Hari Singh was born in the Dogra Rajput royal family in September 1895 at the Amar Mahal, Palace, Jammu. He was the only surviving son of Raja Amar Singh, the brother of Maharaja Pratap Singh, then the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir. Since the Maharaja had no issue, Hari Singh was heir presumptive to the throne of Jammu and Kashmir.

In 1903, Hari Singh served as a page of honour to Lord Curzon at the grand Delhi Durbar. At the age of 13, he was sent to Mayo College in Ajmer. A year later, in 1909, his father died and the British took a keen interest in his education, appointing Major H. K. Barr as his guardian. After Mayo College, Hari Singh went to the British-run Imperial Cadet Corps at Dehradun for military training.

He was appointed the commander-in-chief of the State Forces in 1915 by Maharaja Pratap Singh. In the 1918 New Year's Honours list, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE).

Mr A.'s Blackmail case

Maharaja Hari Singh, aged 24, on his maiden visit to Europe in 1919, unfamiliar with Western settings, fell victim to a "love trap" during his visit to Europe, where he was lured into a compromising situation by not so attractive woman named Maudie Robinson. The encounter was used for blackmail to avoid citation in a divorce case, reportedly with the silent support of British officials, leading to a demand for a large sum of money. A discreet settlement was ensured so that the incident never reaches court or subjects. A similar case involved Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda, who also faced scandal during a European trip, highlighting how Indian royals were vulnerable to such schemes abroad.

On 27 December 1919, Hari Singh handed over two cheques, B204561 and B204562 totalling £300,000 (roughly £15,200,000 today) to his Irish aide-de-camp (ADC), Captain Charles William Augustus Arthur, who, in conspiracy with English criminals—Monty Newton, a notorious card sharp, and William Cooper Hobbs, a corrupt solicitor's clerk and the so-called "Mr Big" of London's underworld—betrayed and defrauded him.

As the real criminal conspiracy was orchestrated by others, Maudie Robinson's real husband demanded money taken under his name under threat of scandal. The case, Charles Ernest Robinson v Midland Bank, was heard in the King's Bench Division of the Royal Courts of Justice on 19 November 1924, presided over by Lord Justice Darling. Robinson's lawyers, son of Lord Halsbury and John Paul Valetta, alleged that they had received only £21,000 from an out of court settlements, claiming they had been unfairly deprived of the remainder by the bank. During the eight days of proceedings, efforts were made by the India Office to keep a certain individual's identity confidential by referring to him as "Mr. A." In court, Lord John Simon—representing the Midland Bank—vigorously defended the institution. Eventually, the truth emerged in court with the inputs from Scotland Yard detective Percy J. Smith. The court ruled in favor of the Bank, despite the jury exonerating Mr. Charles Earnest Robinson and Mrs. Maudie Robinson of conspiracy, stating that no one—innocent or not—can claim proceeds from a theft. So, Robinson lost the case even though he was found innocent of the conspiracy.

The courtroom proceedings drew massive public interest, with people queuing from early morning and the courtroom packed to the extent that witnesses struggled to reach the stand. Major newspapers like The Times and The Daily Telegraph dedicated full pages daily to the case, highlighting its sensational nature. Media magnates like Lord Beaverbrook and Sir Edward Hulton were reportedly stunned by how publicly the dramatic events unfolded. During the trial, Sir Hari was often described as an eastern potentate, and suspicion extended to all Asian royalty, who were seen as opposing secrecy.

The name of Mr. A's ADC was revealed after his arrest on 2 December, awaiting trials in Palais de Justice, imprisoned at La Santé prison (France), but Mr. A's identity remained a secret despite wide speculation in Paris. On 3 December 1924, the India Office finally permitted the disclosure of his name. It was first announced on the London radio station 2LO, which interrupted its music programme for the news. India Office in Britain decided to close the files for a hundred years rather than the usual thirty years as the case involved espionage.

Daily News, Petit Journal, News of the World, The People investigated developments, verified backgrounds, and tracked case proceedings.

On 4 December 1924, Daily Express (UK), Daily Chronicle (UK) and Daily Herald (UK); The Cairns Post (Australia) and Northern Star (Australia) on 5 December 1924, Time magazine on 15 December 1924, Kingston Gleaner (Jamaica) on 16 December 1924, all published reports revealing the official identification of Maharaja Hari Singh as the central figure in the sensational blackmail case.

On 19 December 1924, Hari Singh was in Kashmir, recovering from a serious leg injury caused by a tobogganing accident. Around the same time, he fell into deep depression due to the "Mr A Case" and was reluctant to travel to London to give evidence. On Christmas Day 1924, Lord Reading noted Hari Singh's remorse and that his uncle, the Maharaja of Kashmir, had refused his resignation and granted him two to three months' leave to recover his mental balance.

Time magazine revisited the scandal on May 5, 1961, after Maharaja Hari Singh's death, portraying it as an enduring stain on his legacy. The article suggested that his naivety, combined with betrayal and disloyalty from those he trusted most, shaped his suspicious nature. Over time, this lack of trust in both India and Pakistan may have played a role in laying the groundwork for the India-Pakistan conflict over Kashmir.