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  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 gro...

  The Britishers governed India for over two centuries. Strategically, they controlled and established their dominion. But, the Indian freedom fighters, every so often, opposed them by organising various satyagraha .  Sensing their loosening control and empowered freedom fighters, the British government established an act sanctioning the governmental authorities to detain the person alleged to get involved in or conspiring against the government. Hence, the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919 or the Rowlatt Act came into force.  Origin Of Rowlatt Act The victories of Satyagraha activities in Champaran, Kheda, and Ahmedabad boosted the downtrodden Indian's spirit. The British government decided to take tighter control over public activities in response to a perceived threat posed by the emergence of Satyagraha and a sense of similar conspiracies. As a result, the Rowlatt Act got proposed. The Rowlatt Act , named for its chairman Sir Sidney Rowlett, was approv...