Indian Council Act, 1892

Indian Council Act, 1892
Background of the Act

 The Indian National Congress (INC) was formed in
1885.
 There was a growing feeling of nationalism and this
led the INC to put forth some demands to the British
authorities.
 One of their demands was the reform of the
legislative councils.
 They also wanted the principle of the election
instead of nomination.
 The INC also wanted the right to hold discussions on
financial matters which was hitherto not allowed.
 The Viceroy at the time Lord Dufferin set up a
committee to look into the matter.
 But the Secretary of State did not agree to the
plan of direct elections.
 He, however, agreed to representation by way
of indirect election.
Provisions of the Indian Councils Act 1892
 The act increased the number of additional or

non-official members in the legislative councils
as follows:
› Central Legislative Council: 10 – 16 members
› Bengal: 20 members
› Madras: 20 members
› Bombay: 8 members
› Oudh: 15 members
› North Western Province: 15
 In 1892, out of 24 members, only 5 were Indians.
 The members were given the right to ask
questions on the budget (which was barred in the
Indian Councils Act 1861) or matters of public
interest but had to give notice of 6 days for it.
 They could not ask supplementary questions.
 The principle of representation was initiated
through this act.
 The district boards, universities,
municipalities, chambers of commerce and
zamindars were authorized to recommend
members to the provincial councils.
 The legislative councils were empowered to
make new laws and repeal old laws with the
permission of the Governor-General.
IMPACT
 It was the first step towards a representative form of
government in modern India although there was
nothing in it for the common man.
 The number of Indians was increased and this was a
positive step.
 However, since the British conceded only a little, this
act led indirectly to the rise of many
revolutionary movements in India.
 Many leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak blamed
Congress’s moderate policy of petitions and
persuasions for a lack of positive developments and
called for a more aggressive policy against British rule.
The Indian Councils Act, 1909
 The Indian Councils Act 1909 was an act of the
British Parliament that introduced a few reforms
in the legislative councils and increased the
involvement of Indians (limited) in the
governance of British India.
 It was more commonly called the Morley-Minto
Reforms after the Secretary of State for India
John Morley and the Viceroy of India.
Background of Morley-Minto Reforms
 Despite Queen Victoria’s proclamation that Indian’s

would be treated equally, very few Indians got such
an opportunity as the British authorities were hesitant
to accept them as equal partners.
 Lord Curzon had carried out the partition of Bengal
in 1905.
 This lead to a massive uprising in Bengal as a result.
Following this, the British authorities understood the
need for some reforms in the governance of Indians.
 The Indian National Congress (INC) was also
agitating for more reforms and self-governance
of Indians.
 The earlier Congress leaders were moderates, but
now extremist leaders were on the rise who
believed in more aggressive methods.
 INC demanded home rule for the first time in
1906.
 Gopal Krishna Gokhale met Morley in England
to emphasise the need for reforms.
 Shimla Deputation: A group of elite Muslims led
by Aga Khan met Lord Minto in 1906 and placed
their demand for a separate electorate for the
Muslims.
 John Morley was a member of the Liberal
government, and he wanted to make positive
changes in India’s governance
Major provisions of the Morley-Minto reforms
 The legislative councils at the Centre and the

provinces increased in size.
› Central Legislative Council – from 16 to 60
members
› Legislative Councils of Bengal, Madras,
Bombay and United Provinces – 50 members
each
› Legislative Councils of Punjab, Burma and Assam
– 30 members each
Four Categories Of Members in Central
& Provincial Legislative Council
Categories of
members of Central
Legislative Council
Elected
members
Nominated
Ex-officio
non-official
members members
Nominated
official
members
The Central & Provincial legislative councils have four categories of members as
follows:
› Ex officio members
Governor-General and members of the executive
council.
› Nominated official members
Government officials who were nominated by the
Governor-General.
› Nominated non-official members
Nominated by the Governor-General but were not
government officials.
› Elected members
Elected by different categories of Indians
 The elected members were elected indirectly.
 The local bodies elected an electoral college who
would elect members of the provincial legislative
councils. These members would, in turn, elect the
members of the Central legislative council.
 The elected members were from the local bodies,
the chambers of commerce, landlords, universities,
traders’ communities and Muslims.
 In the provincial councils, non-official members
were in the majority. However, since some of the
non-official members were nominated, in total, a
non-elected majority was there.
 Indians were given membership to the Imperial
Legislative Council for the first time.
 It introduced separate electorates for the Muslims.
Some constituencies were earmarked for Muslims
and only Muslims could vote their representatives.
 The members could discuss the budget and move
resolutions. They could also discuss matters of
public interest.
 They could also ask supplementary questions.
 No discussions on foreign policy or on relations
with the princely states were permitted.
 Lord Minto appointed (on much persuasion by
Morley) Satyendra P Sinha as the first Indian
member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council.
 Two Indians were nominated to the Council of
the Secretary of State for Indian affairs.
 The Act introduced communal representation in Indian
politics.
 This was intended to stem the growing tide of nationalism
in the country by dividing the people into communal lines.
 The culmination of this step was seen in the partition of the
country along religious lines. The effects of differential
treatment of different religious groups can be seen to this
day.
 The Act did nothing to grant colonial self-government,
which was Congress’s demand.
 The Act did increase Indian participation in the legislative
councils, especially at the provincial levels.

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Indian Council Act, 1892

Background of the Act

 The act increased the number of additional or

 Despite Queen Victoria’s proclamation that Indian’s

 The legislative councils at the Centre and the

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