BharatNotes
Vernacular Press Act (1878)
/vəˈnækjʊlər prɛs ækt/A law enacted in 1878 under Viceroy Lord Lytton to control and suppress Indian-language (non-English) newspapers by requiring them to deposit security bonds that could be confiscated if the government deemed their content seditious; it exempted English-language publications, leading to accusations of racial discrimination.
Context & Background
Enacted in the context of growing Indian criticism of Lytton's policies (including the Delhi Durbar of 1877 during famine); passed unanimously by the Viceroy's Council on 14 March 1878; dubbed the "Gagging Act"; repealed in 1881 by Lord Ripon; the Amrit Bazar Patrika famously switched from Bengali to English overnight to escape its provisions.
UPSC Exam Relevance
GS1 (Modern India). Prelims: tested on year (1878), Viceroy (Lord Lytton), repeal (1881, Lord Ripon), and the Amrit Bazar Patrika episode. Mains: asked to analyse how British press censorship paradoxically strengthened the nationalist movement by creating public sympathy for suppressed editors.
