Which of the following statements about the Vernacular Press Act is/are correct?
- 1. It was enacted by Lord Lytton.
- 2. It came to be known as a ‘Gagging Act’.
- 3. The Act was repealed by Lord Ripon.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
- AOnly 1 and 2
- BOnly 2 and 3
- COnly 1
- D1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation
Lord Lytton enacted the Vernacular Press Act, 1878, which empowered the government to seize newspapers publishing so-called “anti-government material”. It may be noted that English-language newspapers were exempted from this Act and were not regulated under its provisions. Under the Vernacular Press Act, any magistrate or police commissioner had the authority to order any printer or publisher of a newspaper not to print a specified kind of material and could seize any printed matter considered objectionable. This Act was nicknamed the “Gagging Act”. Its most objectionable features were—(i) discrimination between the English and vernacular press, and (ii) no right of appeal. Under the VPA, action was initiated against newspapers such as Som Prakash, Bharat Mihir, Dhaka Prakash, and others. This law was repealed in 1882 by Lord Ripon (Viceroy, 1880–84), Lord Lytton’s successor.