Previous Year Question

The Vernacular Press Act, 1878 was introduced during the administration of Lord Lytton.

Lord Lytton served as the Viceroy of India from 1876 to 1880. During his administration, newspapers published in Indian languages were increasingly reporting criticism of British policies, famine conditions and the colonial administration.

Against this background, the Vernacular Press Act was enacted in 1878. Its purpose was to increase government control over newspapers published in Indian languages and restrict the publication of material considered hostile to British rule.

Under the Act, local authorities were given extensive powers to take action against the Indian-language press. A publisher could be required to furnish security or a bond, and action could be taken to forfeit it if material considered hostile to the government was published.

A major feature of the law was that it primarily targeted the vernacular or Indian-language newspapers. For this reason, it was regarded in Indian political and journalistic circles as a discriminatory restriction on freedom of the press.

The Act formed part of the British policy of controlling the growing Indian public opinion and nationalist criticism of the time. Despite this, the political role of the Indian-language press did not disappear, and the press continued to be an important medium of national political consciousness.

The Vernacular Press Act was later repealed during the administration of Lord Ripon. Therefore, Ripon was not the Viceroy who introduced the law; he was associated with its removal.