Question

Comment on the freedom of the press in British India.

Answer 1

Instructions:

• List the measures taken by the British to curb the freedom of the press.

Solution:

• Before 1798, the English East India Company was only concerned with censorship of Englishmen in India who were critical of Company misrule.
• In the 1820s, the Calcutta Supreme Court passed regulations to control and regulate the press.
• After the revolt of 1857, the British attitude towards the native pressed was hostile.
• In 1878, the British passed the Vernacular Press Act which provided the government with a free hand to censor editorials and reports.
• The government kept regular track of the vernacular newspapers published in different provinces
• Despite these controls, nationalist newspapers like Tilak’s Kesari reported on colonial misrule and spread nationalistic ideas.