IOR/L/PS/12/1502

Papers regarding the attempted disposal of the Sultan of Shehr and Mukalla Trust Fund by the Government of Bombay, and later by the Government of Aden.

The file primarily consists of correspondence between the India Office Political Department, the Colonial Office, and the Government of India Political Department, External Affairs Department, and Legal Advisor.

The correspondence provides details of the following: the history of the Trust; prior attempts at settlement; an attempt by the Government to bring an inter-pleader suit to the High Court of Bombay; the refusal of 'Umar ibn 'Awad (the Sultan of Shehr and Mukalla) to waive his privileges as a ruling Sultan in order that he could be named in an inter-pleader suit; the purchase of Government promissory notes for the Trust; and the visit of the Resident Adviser at Mukalla to Hyderabad, in order to gather intelligence on 'Umar ibn 'Awad.

The file also contains papers regarding the transfer of the Trust from the Government of Bombay to the Government of the Colony of Aden, to be held by a nominated officer (the Finance Officer of Aden).

The following items are of note:

• ff 148-150. Copy letter from 'Umar ibn 'Awad, Sultan of Shehr and Mukalla, to the Aden Chief Commissioner;
• ff 127-130. Report by the Aden Protectorate Secretary (1937) providing a brief Al Qu'ayṭī family history, and a summary of the Trust disagreement;
• ff 100-119. Memorandum prepared by the Colonial Office (1937), providing details of the Trust arbitration, and the arguments made by both sides;
• ff 30-46. Draft petition to the High Court of Bombay (1942), drawn up by Messrs Little & Co., Solicitors to the Government of Bombay, requesting permission to transfer the fund to a new trustee;
• ff 10-13. Draft Bill for the Sultan of Shehr and Mukalla Trust Fund Ordinance (1943), to be attached to the petition to transfer the Trust.

The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (folio 2).