"So great was his moral authority that many senior judges would baulk at pronouncing a sentence, even when he pleaded guilty to the charges and demanded the severest punishment.
In 1922, soon after the Bombay riots during the visit of the Prince of Wales, and later Chauri Chaura, where 23 policemen were burnt alive by Gandhi followers turned rioters, he was charged with sedition. Much to the discomfort of his followers and the presiding Judge Broomfield, Gandhi pleaded guilty. Judge Broomfield, while pronouncing the verdict sentencing him to six years said, ‘The determination of a just sentence is perhaps as difficult a proposition as a judge in this country could have to face.’ As a mark of respect, he bowed to the accused, Gandhi, when leaving the courtroom.
British Attorney General T.J. Stangman, though prosecuting Gandhi, shook hands with him before leaving him with his tearful followers."
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