Question

What was rowlatt act and how did Gandhiji plan to oppose this act and how did colonial government react to the popular upsurge

Answer 1

In 1919, the Rowlatt Act was passed hurriedly through the Imperial Legislative Council, despite the united
opposition of the Indian members.

This Act gave the British Government enormous powers to repress political activities. According to this law, political prisoners could be detained in prison without trial for two years. Mahatma Gandhi wanted non-violent civil disobedience against such unjust law. Rallies were organised in various cities, workers went on strike in railway workshops, and shops closed down. British administration decided to suppress the' nationalists. Local leaders were picked up from Amritsar, and Mahatma Gandhi was barred from entering Delhi.

Answer 2

The Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919, popularly known as the Rowlatt Act also known as Black Act, was a legislative act passed by the Imperial Legislative Council in Delhi on March 18, 1919, indefinitely extending the emergency measures of preventive indefinite detention, incarceration without trial and judicial review enacted in the Defence of India Act 1915 during the First World War. It was enacted in light of a perceived threat from revolutionary nationalist organisations of re-engaging in similar conspiracies as during the war which the Government felt the lapse of the DIRA regulations would enable.[1][2][3][4][5] Passed on the recommendations of the Rowlatt Committee and named after its president, British judge Sir Sidney Rowlatt, this act effectively authorized the government to imprison any person suspected of terrorism living in the Raj for up to two years without a trial, and gave the imperial authorities power to deal with all revolutionary activities.


Mahatma Gandhi, among other Indian leaders, was extremely critical of the Act and argued that not everyone should be punished in response to isolated political crimes. The Act angered many Indian leaders and the public, which caused the government to implement repressive measures. Gandhi and others thought that constitutional opposition to the measure was fruitless, so on April 6, a "hartal" was organised where Indians would suspend all business and would fast, pray and hold public meetings against the 'Black Act' as a sign of their opposition and civil disobedience would be offered against the law. This event was known as the Rowlatt Satyagraha.