easy and simple language short note on vernacular press act .
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Many newspapers and journals were printed in India in English and in the vernacular languages by the 1870s. They played an important role in educating Indians about the changes taking place in different parts of the country and spread the message of nationalism. The press often pointed out the mistakes and failures of the government, example they criticized the Delhi Durbar being held while famine raged in the country. In 1878, Lord Lytton passed the Vernacular press act to control the vernacular press. According to this act, the editors of newspapers and journals in Indian languages had to sign a bond before a judge or collector, not to print anything that would turn people against the government or disturb the peace. They had to show the proofs of the paper or journal to a government officer before it was printed, so that he could remove any part of it that the government did not like. This was known as the Censorship, which took away the freedom of the Indian language press, while the English newspapers and journals were and left unaffected. The act was very unpopular and the Indians called it the gaggling or choking act.