Which act was known as the Black Bill?

 The Rowlatt Act of 1919, also known as the Black Bill, was one of the most contentious legislative laws adopted by the British government in the early twentieth century to restrict the civil liberties of Indians. It reshaped the Indian national movement and elevated Mahatma Gandhi, India's most ardent liberation warrior. 

The Black bill sparked riots across India and the most heinous event in Indian history: the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.

Emergence Of Black Bill

The Black Act, also known as the Rowlatt Act or Rowlatt Satyagraha, was a severe statute enacted by the British government in March 1919. As it was officially known, the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act gave the British government and police unprecedented powers to apprehend anyone suspected of seditious activity. 

The Black Bill was meant to replace the Defence of India Act of 1915 and passed as a last resort. A committee led by British Judge Sir Sydney Rowlatt drafted the Black Act to curb India's growing nationalist movement.

The legislative assembly enacted the controversial bill in March 1919, despite considerable resistance from unofficial Indian members. 

Many Indian politicians, including Mohammad Ali Jinnah, resigned from parliament and condemned the British monarchy's authoritarianism and the lack of constitutional rights for Indian citizens. The policy enraged Indian residents, particularly Punjabis, who had heroically served alongside the British troops during WWI.(1914 to 1918). Read in-depth detail for which act was known as the black bill at getlegalindia.com.

Outrage Of Black Bill

On April 6, 1919, Mahatma Gandhi began a statewide satyagraha (peaceful civil disobedience movement) protest, the Rowlatt Act. Millions of Indians backed the movement. The movement became violent in several places of India, and riots erupted. 

The situation in Punjab province was the worst, and the British government imposed martial law, causing Mahatma Gandhi to call for an end to the movement. Many important Congress officials, including Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew, were arrested as the rally got violent. Punjab's martial law stipulated that no more than four persons might congregate in the province.

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre 

Two nationalist leaders, Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satyapal were detained by British officials on April 9, 1919, without any reason other than speaking at protest meetings and bringing them to an unknown location. This enraged Indian protestors, who flocked to the streets in large numbers on April 10 to show their support for their leaders. When the police used live ammunition, the protests swiftly turned violent, resulting in the deaths of several protestors. 

The government declared martial law to avoid further disturbances, and Brigadier-General Dyer was dispatched to Punjab to keep the calm. On Baisakhi Day, April 13th, a big crowd of people, mainly from adjacent villages, assembled in the Jallianwala Bagh, unaware of the prohibitory orders in Amritsar. Brigadier-General Dyer and his men arrived on the scene. Under General Dyer's orders, troops surrounded the crowd, barred the single exit, and opened fire on the unarmed mob, murdering over 1000 defenceless men, women, and children.

The government established an inquiry commission to look into the Jallianwala Bagh shootings. The Government of India announced the creation of the Disorders Inquiry Committee on October 14, 1919. After its head, Lord William Hunter, the group was dubbed the Hunter Commission. It included Indians as well. The committee overwhelmingly denounced Dyer's behaviour in its final report, submitted in March 1920. General Dyer, on the other hand, received no punishment or disciplinary action from the Hunter Committee.

Nationalist Response 

As a result, nationalist Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest. The title of Kaiser-i-Hind, conferred by the British for his service during the Boer War, was relinquished by Mahatma Gandhi. On April 18, 1919, Gandhi was overcome by the atmosphere of complete violence and withdrew his campaign. 

Non- Cooperation Movement 

The non-cooperation movement began on September 5, 1920, led by Mahatma Gandhi and focused on, among other things, prohibiting the use of British products, declining or resigning from British posts and educational institutions, and prohibiting government rules and tribunals. 

After the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and the Rowlatt Act, a nonviolent movement was formed to withdraw the nation's participation. If the campaign succeeds, Mahatma Gandhi predicted that India would gain independence within a year. It was the transformation of a small group of people into a more significant movement. The goal of non-cooperation was to achieve complete independence, also known as Purna Swaraj.

Khilafat Movement

During the war for India's independence, two movements were formed to challenge British authority in India: the Khilafat and the Non-Cooperation Movement. Both revolutions were founded on acts of nonviolence. 

While there were many reasons for the movements, the assassination of the religious head of Muslims, the Sultan of Turkey, by Britishers was one of the most crucial motivations for the Khilafat movement. The Khilafat movement was led by Maulana Mohammed Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali, Maulana Azad, Hakim Ajmal Khan, and Hasrat Mohani. The khilafat movement's leaders joined the non-cooperation campaign, uniting Hindus and Muslims.

As a result, the Rowlatt Act or the Black Bill was repealed by the British in 1922.

Conclusion

The British enacted the Rowlatt Act or Black Bill and other Preventive Detention laws to curb the demand for free India, which they perceived as seditious. However, after the independence, the said laws found a place in the new Constitution to deal with sedition in new India. But, it is a must to use such a sensitive Act during utmost emergencies.