Journey Of Indian Press: Role in Nationalist Movements

• Lord Wellesley enacted stringent Indian press restrictions, anticipating a French invasion. 
• Almost wartime press regulations, including pre-censorship, were imposed. 
• Lord Hastings later relaxed these restrictions and in 1818, pre-censorship was dispensed with. 

• Enacted by John Adams (acting governor general), these regulations penalized starting or using a press without a license. 
• Initially directed primarily against Indian-language newspapers or those edited by Indians. 
• Rammohan Roy’s Mirat-ul-Akbar had to stop publication.

Or Metcalfe Act

• As Governor-General, Metcalfe repealed the 1823 ordinance and earned the title “Liberator of the Indian Press.” 
• It mandated precise accounts of publication premises and the option to cease functioning if required.

• Emerged due to the 1857 revolt, imposing licensing restrictions in addition to existing registration procedures. 
• The government reserved the right to stop publication and circulation.

• Replaced Metcalfe’s Act and focused on regulation rather than restriction. 
• Required printing the name of the printer, publisher, and place of the publication, and submitting a copy to the local government within a month from the date of publication of a book.

Vernacular Press Act(VPA), 1878

• It aimed to better control the vernacular press and curb “seditious writing” in publications in oriental languages.
• It empowered District Magistrate, which could force printers and publishers to enter bonds, forbidding content that could incite disaffection or antipathy; unappealable Actions and their decisions were final, with no right of appeal in a court of law; government Censorship on vernacular newspapers could seek exemption by submitting proofs to a government censor; the printer and publisher could also be required to deposit security, which could be forfeited if the regulations were contravened, and press equipment could be seized if the offence re-occurred.
• It discriminated between English and vernacular press so, dubbed as the “Gagging Act,”. Notably, there was no right of appeal under the VPA.
• Due to opposition, newspapers like  Som Prakash, Bharat Mihir, Dacca Prakash, and Samachar faced proceedings under VPA. 
• Incidentally, the Amrita Bazar Patrika turned overnight into an English newspaper to escape the VPA. 
• Later, the pre-censorship clause was repealed, and a press commissioner was appointed to supply authentic and accurate news to the Indian press. 
• Widespread protests led to its repeal by Lord Ripon in 1882.

Development after 1882

• There was continued Repression against Nationalist Journalists which led to the imprisonment of Surendranath Banerjea (1883), the first Indian journalist imprisoned, who criticized a Calcutta High court judge in the Bengalee. 
• Later, Tilak faced imprisonment after the murder of Rand on the basis of the publication of a poem, ‘Shivaji’s Utterances’, in Kesari, and a speech which Tilak had delivered at the Shivaji festival, justifying Afzal Khan’s murder by Shivaji.
• In 1898, the government amended Section 124A and added another Section 153A to the Penal Code, which made it a criminal offence for anyone to bring into contempt the Government of India or to create hatred among different classes, that is, vis-a-vis the English in India. 

• For the Indian press, this act targeted extremist nationalist activities, allowing magistrates to confiscate press property publishing objectionable material likely to cause incitement to murder/acts of violence.

• It revived VPA features, empowering local governments to demand security and submit copies of newspapers free of charge.

• It was imposed for political repression and criticism. 
• Based on the Press Committee’s recommendations chaired by Tej Bahadur Sapru, the Press Acts of 1908 and 1910 were repealed.

• It gave sweeping powers to provincial governments to suppress propaganda for the Civil Disobedience Movement. 
• It was further amplified in 1932 to include all activities calculated to undermine government authority for the Indian press.

• Pre-censorship was imposed, and amendments were made to the Press Emergency Act and Official Secrets Act. 
• At one time, publication of all news related to Congress activity was declared illegal.

(Calcutta General Advertiser)

(Bengali in the beginning, later English)