jan 1, 1878 - Vernacular Press Act 1878 Lord Lytton 1878

Description:

Repealed in 1882

Vernacular Press Act - Provisions
The magistrates of the districts were empowered by this act to call upon a printer and publisher of any kind to enter into a bond, undertaking not to publish anything that might "rouse" feelings of dissatisfaction against the government without the prior permission of the government.
The magistrate was also given the authority to deposit a security deposit, which could be confiscated if the printer violated the Bond. If a printer commits the same offense again, his press may be seized.
The magistrate's decision was final, and there could be no appeal in a court of law.
A vernacular newspaper could obtain an exemption from the Act's application by submitting proof to a government censor.

Vernacular Press Act - Impact
The act became known as "the Gagging Act."
The most heinous aspects of this act were:
discrimination between English and vernacular press, and
no right of appeal.
Som Prakash, Bharat Mihir, Dacca Prakash, and Samachar were charged under the VPA.
Incidentally, to avoid the VPA, the Amrita Bazar Patrika(founded by Shishir Kumar Ghosh, Moti Lal Ghosh and Tusar Kanti Ghosh in Bengal )morphed overnight into an English newspaper.
Later, the pre-censorship clause was repealed, and a press commissioner was appointed to provide the press with authentic and accurate news.
The act was met with strong opposition, and Ripon eventually repealed it in 1882.

The Vernacular Press Act (VPA) was enacted in order to "better control" the vernacular press and effectively punish and repress "seditious writing" in "publications in oriental languages." As a result, the British treated the (non-English language) Indian press with complete hostility.

Following 1858, the European press always supported the government in political controversies, whereas the vernacular press was critical of the government.


There was a strong public backlash against Lytton's imperialistic policies, which were exacerbated by a terrible famine (1876–77), on the one hand, and lavish spending on the imperial Delhi Durbar, on the other.When this act was passed in 1878, there were 20 English newspapers and 200 vernacular newspapers.
People became more aware of political issues as a result of these vernacular newspapers, and they gradually began to ask questions about their rights.

Added to timeline:

Date: