(1.) On the second day of July 1927 the petitioner despatched to himself as consignee three bundles of goat skins from Chatra railway station to Howrah over the B.T. Railway. On 12th July he went to Howrah goods shed, paid the railway freight and demanded the goods. The railway officials refused to hand them over on the ground that one of the bundles appeared to be different from the one despatched, and was 30 seers short in weight. The petitioner pressed them for delivery under short receipt to avoid loss and depreciation in market value, but this was refused.
(2.) On 26 September the petitioner's pleader Satya wrote to the Commercial Chief Manager, Howrah, setting out the above facts, drawing attention to the falling market and to the fact that the skins were getting damaged and worthless in the goods office, and demanding the price.
(3.) To this letter the Chief Commercial Manager replied sending a copy of his office letter dated 2 August, which had been written to the petitioner's pleader Provash Chandra Biswas in which it was stated that the consignment had been made over to the Government Railway Police, Howrah, under orders of the Sub-Divisional Officer, Rampurhat, and asking the petitioner to Communicate with the Sub-Divisional Officer.