Question

Read the excerpt given below and answer the questions that follow:

Being conscientiously of opinion that the Bills known as the Indian Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill No. I of 1919 and the Criminal Law (Emergency Powers) Bill No. II of 1919 are unjust, subversive of the principles of liberty and justice, and destructive of the elementary right of individuals on which the safety of the community, as a whole, and the State itself is based, we solemnly affirm that in the event of these Bills becoming law and until they are withdrawn, we shall refuse civility to obey these laws and such other laws as a Committee to be hereafter appointed may think fit, and we further affirm that in this struggle we will faithfully follow truth and refrain from violence to life, person or property. -The Bombay Chronicle, March 4, 1920

1. What name was given to the two Indian Criminal Law Bills mentioned in the excerpt above? Why have they been described as unjust?
2. Which movement was started in 1920 after these Bills were passed in the Central Legislature? State any two objectives of this movement.

Read the excerpt given below and answer the questions that follow:

Being conscientiously of opinion that the Bills known as the Indian Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill No. I of 1919 and the Criminal Law (Emergency Powers) Bill No. II of 1919 are unjust, subversive of the principles of liberty and justice, and destructive of the elementary right of individuals on which the safety of the community, as a whole, and the State itself is based, we solemnly affirm that in the event of these Bills becoming law and until they are withdrawn, we shall refuse civility to obey these laws and such other laws as a Committee to be hereafter appointed may think fit, and we further affirm that in this struggle we will faithfully follow truth and refrain from violence to life, person or property. -The Bombay Chronicle, March 4, 1920

1. What name was given to the two Indian Criminal Law Bills mentioned in the excerpt above? Why have they been described as unjust?
2. Which movement was started in 1920 after these Bills were passed in the Central Legislature? State any two objectives of this movement.
3. What was the British government’s reaction to the movement? How did the movement end?

Answer 1

1. • Name: They were collectively known as the Rowlatt Act/Rowlatt Bills.
   • The laws gave the government emergency powers that curtailed basic civil liberties, permitting detention without trial, searches and arrests without normal legal safeguards, and suppressing free expression and association, and so were seen as oppressive and contrary to liberty and justice.
2. • Movement started in 1920: The Non‑Cooperation Movement, launched under Mahatma Gandhi. 
   • Two objectives: 
     1. To attain Swaraj (self‑rule) by non‑violent means.
     2. To weaken British rule by non‑cooperation with its institutions (boycott of British schools and courts, boycott of foreign goods and titles, resignations from government service, promotion of Khadi).
3. Government Reaction and End of the Movement:
   • British Government’s Reaction: The colonial administration used harsh repressive measures to crush the agitation. They banned public gatherings, declared nationalist volunteer groups illegal, arrested thousands of prominent leaders, and violently broke up peaceful processions with lathi charges and gunfire.
   • How the Movement Ended: The movement ended abruptly in February 1922 due to the Chauri-Chaura Incident in Uttar Pradesh. An angry crowd set fire to a local police station, killing 22 policemen. Since this act violated Mahatma Gandhi’s core absolute condition of Ahimsa (non-violence), he immediately suspended the nationwide campaign.