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Q51
(CDS-I/2026)
History & Culture › National Movement (1857–1947)
Who among the following was the only Indian member to be present when the Vernacular Press Bill came up before the Legislative Council ?
Result
Your answer:
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Correct:
A
Explanation
The Vernacular Press Act was enacted on March 14, 1878, during the viceroyalty of Lord Lytton. The bill was introduced to curb the freedom of the Indian-language press, which had become increasingly critical of government policies. When the bill came up before the Imperial Legislative Council, Maharaja Jotendra Mohan Tagore was the only Indian member present in the session.
- Tagore notably supported the bill, a move that was widely condemned by the Indian nationalist intelligentsia.
- The Act was highly discriminatory as it applied only to vernacular newspapers and not to English-language publications.
- It empowered the government to confiscate printing presses and property if they published "seditious" material.
- Due to its repressive nature, it was dubbed the "Gagging Act" and was eventually repealed by Lord Ripon in 1882.
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