Rowlatt Act

The Rowlatt Act, officially known by its parliamentary short title as the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act 1919, was a law passed by the Imperial Legislative Council in Delhi on 18 March 1919. Its Indian members strongly opposed it.

The law extended emergency measures from the Defence of India Act, 1915, which had been passed during the First World War. These measures allowed indefinite detention, imprisonment without trial, and judicial review.

The law was made because the government believed that revolutionary nationalists might again take part in conspiracies as had occurred during the war. The government felt that if the Defence of India Act, 1915 were allowed to lapse, it would make such plots possible.

Purpose and introduction

The British colonial government passed the Rowlatt Act, which gave the police power to arrest any Indian person based only on suspicion. Its purpose was to stop the growing nationalist movement in the country. Muhammad Ali Jinnah called it a "Black Act" in his letter to Viceroy of India, Frederic Thesiger, when he resigned from the Imperial Legislative Council. Mahatma Gandhi asked people to perform Satyagraha against it. Passed on the recommendations of the Rowlatt Committee and named after its president, Sir Sidney Rowlatt, the law allowed the colonial government to imprison anyone suspected of terrorism living in British India for up to two years without trial.

The unpopular law also allowed stricter control of the press, arrests without a warrant, and detention without trial. Trials for banned political acts were held without a jury, in camera, and accused people were not told who accused them or what evidence was used. A panel of three high court judges heard these cases, and no higher court could hear appeals. The law of habeas corpus was suspended, and evidence that would not normally be allowed under the Indian Evidence Act could be used. Two bills, known as "Black Bills", were introduced in the Central Legislature on 6 February 1919. Despite much opposition, the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act, 1919 was passed on 18 March 1919. The chief justice could decide where the accused stayed between trial and bail, and the act set a penalty for disobeying any order issued under it.

Effect

Three leaders, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Mazarul Haque and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a member of the All-India Muslim League, resigned from the Imperial Legislative Council in protest. Jinnah called the act a "Black Act" in his letter to Frederic Thesiger, the Viceroy of India. Mahatma Gandhi and other Indian leaders strongly criticized the law, arguing that not everyone should be punished for isolated political crimes. Many Indians and leaders were angered, and the government responded with harsher measures. Gandhi and others felt that opposing the law through official channels would not work, so a hartal took place on 6 April. People closed their businesses, went on strike, fasted, prayed and held public meetings to show their opposition. Gandhi bathed in the sea at Mumbai and spoke at a procession to Madhav Baug temple. These events were part of the Non-cooperation movement.

The Rowlatt Act brought Gandhi into the main part of India's struggle for independence and began the Gandhian Era of Indian politics. Jawaharlal Nehru later wrote in his book Glimpses of World History that Gandhi's quiet but determined protest felt different from the usual speeches and resolutions. The hartal in Delhi on 30 March was successful, but tensions ran high and led to rioting in the Punjab, Delhi and Gujarat. Gandhi decided that Indians were not yet ready to act in line with nonviolence, which was a key part of satyagraha, and he suspended the resistance. The Rowlatt Act took effect on 21 March 1919. In Punjab, protests grew strong. On 10 April, two congress leaders, Dr. Satyapal and Saifuddin Kitchlew, were arrested and secretly taken to Dharamsala. On 13 April, people from nearby villages gathered for Baisakhi Day celebrations and to protest their deportation in Amritsar. The army was then called into Punjab, which led to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919.

Revocation

After accepting the report of the Repressive Laws Committee, the British colonial government cancelled many laws. These included the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act, 1919, the Indian Press Act, 1910, and the Official Secrets Act. They also included the Prevention of Seditious Meetings Act, the Police Act, 1861, the Public Safety Act, and the Defence of India Act, 1915.

Many other laws were cancelled too, including rules about sedition, explosives, and arms, and the Criminal Tribes Act. Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code was also cancelled. All of these changes were made in March 1922.