# UK responds to Madhya Pradesh family’s 1917 war loan claim

2026-08-10T12:08:09+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

The UK government's Debt Management Office has emailed the family of Seth Jumma Lal Ruthia, a Sehore businessman who gave the British Raj Rs 35,000 as a World War I war loan in 1917. The family's lawyer received a request for the original certificate and related documents. Third-generation grandson Vivek Ruthia, 63, told the Times of India his legal team is preparing responses. Seth Jumma Lal died in 1937, and the British left India in 1947. The 1917 Indian War Loan certificate carries a 5.5 per cent interest rate. If compounded over 109 years, the family estimates the amount would run into crores. The British government redeemed £1.9 billion in World War I bonds in 2015, but that does not automatically cover this individual certificate.

## Coverage

- livemint.com <https://www.livemint.com/news/india/meet-the-madhya-pradesh-family-who-loaned-35-000-to-british-govt-in-1917-for-world-war-i-11786356897735.html>
- livemint.com <https://www.livemint.com/news/india/british-war-bonds-what-is-the-1917-indian-war-loan-that-mp-family-invested-rs-35-000-in-11786356238499.html>
- deccanherald.com <https://www.deccanherald.com/india/madhya-pradesh/109-years-on-british-govt-to-examine-rs-35000-war-loan-claim-madhya-pradesh-family-4105905>

Tags: British War Loans, colonial-era debt, Indian War Loan, Madhya Pradesh, UK Debt Management Office, World War I
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