What is Rowlatt Act?

Rowlatt Act

Two bills were introduced in the Imperial Legislative Council just before the Montford Reforms were implemented. One was dropped, but the other, an extension to the Defence of India Regulations Act 1915, was passed in March 1919. It was officially called the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act but is popularly known as the Rowlatt Act.

Rowlatt Act was based on the recommendations made to the Imperial Legislative Council by the Rowlatt Commission, headed by the British judge, Sir Sidney Rowlatt, to investigate the ‘seditious conspiracy’ of the Indian people. According to this act, the activists must be deported or imprisoned without trial for two years, and even possessing seditious newspapers would be adequate evidence of guilt. The Britishers passed this bill, although all the elected Indian members of the Imperial Legislative Council voted against it. However, Indians were in the minority and easily overruled by the official nominees.

The Rowlatt act allowed political activists to be tried without juries or imprisoned without trial. It allowed the arrest of Indians without a warrant on the mere suspicion of ‘treason’. Such suspects could be tried in secrecy without recourse to legal help. Three high court judges were appointed to try such suspects, and there was no court of appeal above that panel. The object of the government was to replace the repressive provisions of the wartime Defence of India Act (1915) with a permanent law. There was strict control over the press, and the government was armed with various powers to deal with anything the authorities chose to consider terrorism or revolutionary tactics.