Rowlatt Act: Provisions and Repercussions

The Rowlatt Act, passed by the Imperial Legislative Council in February 1919, gave the British government the power to imprison anyone suspected of anti-British conspiracy ideas for up to two years without trial and convict them summarily without a jury. The Rowlatt Act was called as black law.

The act replaced the Defence of India Act (1915), enacted during the First World War, with a permanent statute that gave the British more power over Indians, based on the recommendation of a commission led by Justice S.A.T. Rowlatt.

The Indian leaders, particularly Mahatma Gandhi, opposed the harsh legislation and organised a protest campaign culminating in the horrific Jallianwala Bagh massacre in April 1919 and the ensuing Non-Cooperation Movement.

Why was Rowlatt Act imposed?

The 'Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919,' popularly called the 'Rowlatt Act,' was enacted by the British to deter Indians from rising against them by suppressing revolutionary groups and taking away the right to personal expression and liberty of Indians.

Provisions of the act

The principal features of the Act included the arrest and deportation of anyone suspected of sedition or insurrection, the trial of those arrested by special courts set up for that purpose, and the declaration of possession of treasonable material as a penal offence.

The Rowlatt act was called as black law as the oppressive Act also allowed the police extensive rights to search properties and arrest anyone solely on suspicion without a warrant; the right to imprison suspects indefinitely without trial; and the ability to conduct in-camera trials for illegal political activity without a jury.

The undertrials were also denied access to information about their accusers' identities and the nature of the evidence provided against them for their claimed offences under Justice Rowlatt's draconian legislation.

Reactions of Indians to the Act

All Indian officials passionately opposed the act believing it to be excessively restrictive. Mahatma Gandhi, in particular, was a vocal opponent of the proposed legislation, believing that it was immoral to punish a population of people for a crime committed by only one or a few individuals.

Realising that constitutional challenge to the Act would be futile, Gandhi organised a 'hartal’ to oppose the black act for the first time. In this, the masses would stop working and gather in public locations to fast and pray to voice their opposition to the law through civil disobedience peacefully.

The British, however, were unaffected by the 'Rowlatt Satyagraha,' as the movement became known because they did not see the nonviolent 'hartal' as a danger.

Repercussions of the act

The demonstrations became increasingly strident and militant when the Act was passed in March 1919, especially in Punjab, where rail, telegraph, and communication networks were damaged. The protests had peaked by the end of the first week of April, and Lahore, in particular, was on fire.

On April 12, 1919, the leaders of the 'hartal' in Amritsar convened to pass resolutions against the Act and protest the arrests of Satya Pal and Kitchlew. They also resolved to hold a public protest meeting at Jallianwala Bagh the following day.

• The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

In the morning of April 13, 1919, the traditional holiday of 'Baisakhi,' the acting military commander, Colonel Reginald Dyer, placed many restrictions on people's mobility and assembly, anticipating further agitation and bloodshed. On the other hand, the regular people paid little attention to it or comprehended the ramifications and gathered at Jallianwala Bagh.

Colonel Dyer came with his forces in Jallianwala Bagh at 5.30 p.m., an hour after the planned protest meeting had begun, shut off the only escape, and ordered indiscriminate firing on the peaceful and unarmed throng without warning.

Around 1,000 people were killed in the ten-minute gun spree and subsequent stampede; however, the official British total was only 379. This massacre was considered the worst massacre that India would ever witness, and the act was later termed the black act in Indian history following the massacre.

To Conclude:

During World War I, the British government passed the Rowlatt Act, often known as the Black Act, in 1919. The Act gave the British the authority to detain anyone accused of plotting to overthrow British power.

Mahatma Gandhi also opposed this law, who launched "Hartal," a nonviolent protest that included work stoppages and hunger strikes. The protest did not work, and the Act resulted in the black day of India - The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.

I’m Pratibha Sahani and I am a content writer. I am passionate about writing articles for law and legal sites. I try to acknowledge my audience with an in-depth understanding of legal terms.