Question

Which of the following are true about the policies of the British government regarding printing and press in India?

• A. It encouraged newspapers that celebrated British rule.
• B. Editors of vernacular press were happy with the British repressive policies.
• C. Thomas Macaulay formulated relatively strict rules for Indian publishers.
• D. Vernacular Press Act was passed in 1878.

Answer 1

Answer: (A), (D)

The correct options are
A It encouraged newspapers that celebrated British rule.
D Vernacular Press Act was passed in 1878.

The East India Company encouraged newspapers that celebrated British rule. In the 1820s, the Calcutta Supreme Court passed regulations to control what was being printed. Editors of vernacular language newspapers flooded Governor-General Bentinck’s office with petitions to revise these oppressive laws. Colonial officer, Thomas Macaulay, formulated relatively liberal rules. Later in 1878, Vernacular Press Act modelled after Irish press laws was passed.