Question

How were the britishers shown that their dreaded and unquestioned authority could be challenged by the indians?

Answer 1

As the enquiry began, a crushing mountain of evidence was found against  big planters and when they saw this they agreed in principle to refund the peasants.  But the question was over the amount of payment.  They thought Gandhi would demand payment in full of the money which they had illegally and deceitfully taken from the sharecroppers. However, Gandhi asked for only fifty percent and it was on this amount that he seemed adamant.  The planters thought that they would not give way so the representative of the planters offered to refund 25 percent. To his amazement, Gandhi agreed and took him off his word leading to the breaking of the deadlock. This settlement was adopted unanimously by the commission. Gandhi explained that the amount of refund was not important. The real breakthrough lay in the fact that the landlords had been obliged to surrender part of the money and with it their prestige. Therefore, as far as the peasant were concerned,  the planters has behaved as the lords above the law so far. Now the peasants saw that he also had rights that could not be infringed and defenders of those rights.  Gandhi changed the peasant-landlord equation by informing  the peasants of their own rights and showing them that they also had the power to standup.