History & Civics
With reference to the following Acts and Regulations, explain how did repressive colonial policies cause an annoying sense of humiliation in the minds of educated Indians:
(a) The Vernacular Press Act, 1878
(b) The Arms Act, 1878
(c) Ilbert Bill controversy
Nationalism Growth
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Answer
(a) The Vernacular Press Act, 1878:
The government tried to silence the opposition by enacting the Vernacular Press Act in 1878.
- This Act is commonly known as the 'Gagging Act'.
- The Act required the editors to publish nothing that would excite disaffection against the Government.
- Under this act, the Government had the power to confiscate the printing press in the event of the publication of undesirable matter.
- Many editors who opposed the Act were sentenced to jail.
- This caused an annoying sense of humiliation in the minds of educated Indians.
(b) The Arms Act, 1878:
The government tried to silence the opposition by enacting the Indian Arms Act in 1878.
- The main provision of the Indian Arms Act of 1878 made it a criminal offence for Indians to keep or bear arms without licence.
- Surendranath Bannerjea's reaction was that the Act "imposed on us a badge of racial inferiority" because it was not applicable to the British.
(c) Ilbert Bill controversy:
Lord Ripon tried to reduce some of the grievances of the Indians by passing the Ilbert Bill. But his attempts were marred by the controversy over the Ilbert bill.
- At that time no European could be tried for a criminal offence except by a European judge.
- Lord Ripon tried to do away with this absurdity.
- Accordingly, a bill was introduced in 1883 by Ilbert, the Law member of the Governor-General's Executive Council.
- The Anglo-Indian community carried on a wild agitation against this measure.
- The Government ultimately withdrew the Bill and negotiated a compromise.
- As a result, the Indian District Magistrates and the Judges were empowered to try European offenders on the condition that the accused were to have the benefit of trial by Jury. Half the members of the Jury were to be Europeans or Americans.
- This caused an annoying sense of humiliation in the minds of educated Indians.
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