Sir Sydney Rowlatt; Source: Public Domain

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Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919. Commonly known, the Rowlatt Act - quite hated in the Indian independence struggle and the reason for many massacres, troubles and overall discomfort, was passed by the Imperial Legislative Council on the 18th of March, 1919.

Sir Sidney Rowlatt, the man behind this act, headed up a sedition committee. Owing to the First World War, Indian nationalists - especially the Gadar Party, had gained support from Imperial Germany and other Central Powers to lead an uprising in British India. This conspiracy, although unravelled, had caused much panic amongst British parliamentarians, who demanded that such conspiracies may never come to being true again.

During the War, under the Defence of the Realm (and the Defence of India) Act, total censorship, indefinite detention, and incarceration without trial or even a judicial review had been the norm in British India. However, as the First World War ended, the Rowlatt Committee recommended extending these provisions in India - to tighten British control over the region.

> This act, when passed in 1919, made the writing on the wall clear - the British were in no mood to negotiate Indian independence, or Home Rule, as they had earlier promised. Instead, they were tightening down their hold further in India.

This sparked off a series of popular show of anger, even the Gandhian satyagraha - which would be later associated with countless more independent struggles - came into the limelight in the anti-Rowlatt protests. Strikes, protests and nationalist struggles began all over India, especially in Punjab, as the British moved in with their armies to pacify these locations. Eventually, it would culminate in the horrific massacre at Jallianwala Bagh.

Nevertheless, the pressure was immense, and it seemed like the opposite effect had been achieved - instead of silencing, the Act had in fact galvanised the Indian population towards Independence and rebellion. The government would repeal the Rowlatt and other Censorship Acts by 1922.

The Rowlatt Act was passed by the Imperial Legislative Council in 1919. It extends detention, censorship and other wartime measures indefinitely in India- sparking off a wave of satyagraha, hartals and protest gatherings, building up the national movement. 