Rowlatt Act

The Rowlatt Act, officially known by its parliamentary short title as the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act 1919, was an act passed by the Imperial Legislative Council in Delhi on 18 March 1919 to strong opposition of its Indian members, indefinitely extending the emergency measures of preventive indefinite detention, imprisonment without trial and judicial review enacted in the Defence of India Act, 1915 during the First World War. It was enacted in the light of a perceived threat from revolutionary nationalists of re-engaging in similar conspiracies as had occurred during the war which the government felt the lapse of the Defence of India Act, 1915 would enable.

Purpose and introduction

The British Colonial Government passed the "Rowlatt Act", which gave power to the police to arrest any Indian person on the basis of mere suspicion. The purpose of the Act was to curb the growing nationalist upsurge in the country. Muhammad Ali Jinnah called this act a "Black Act" in his letter to Viceroy of India, Frederic Thesiger,when he (Jinnah) resigned from the Imperial Legislative Council. Mahatma Gandhi called upon the people to perform Satyagraha against this act.

Passed on the recommendations of the Rowlatt Committee and named after its president, Sir Sidney Rowlatt, the act effectively authorized the colonial British government to imprison any person suspected of terrorism living in British India for up to two years without trial, and gave the colonial authorities power to deal with all revolutionary activities.

The unpopular legislation provided for stricter control of the press, arrests without warrant, indefinite detention without trial, and juryless in camera trials for proscribed political acts. The accused were denied the right to know the accusers and the evidence used in the trial. A special panel, made up of three high court judges, was designated to hear cases involving such suspects.