A Critical Study of the Rowlatt Act and Its Aftermath
Aqib Yousuf Rather
Lecturer, Govt. Degree College (Boys), Udhampur, J&K
Peer Amir Ahmad
Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Govt. Degree College Majalta, J&K
In this study an attempt has been made to critically examines the Rowlatt Act of 1919, a repressive legislative measure enacted by the British colonial government in India, and its far-reaching consequences. Rooted in post-World War I imperial anxieties, the Act extended emergency wartime powers into peacetime, permitting preventive detention, trials without juries, and suspension of civil liberties. The research analyzes the Act’s legal framework, its violation of fundamental rights such as habeas corpus and freedom of expression, and its undermining of judicial norms. Particular focus is given to the nationwide resistance it sparked—most notably Mahatma Gandhi’s Rowlatt Satyagraha—and the tragic Jallianwala Bagh massacre that followed. The article argues that the Act catalyzed mass mobilization, delegitimized British authority, and reshaped nationalist strategies in India. It concludes that the Rowlatt Act was not only a manifestation of colonial authoritarianism but also a pivotal moment in the transformation of India’s independence movement into a mass-based, nonviolent struggle.
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