Rowlatt Bills and Gandhiji's reaction

In spite of his loyalty to the British and a strong dislike to embarrass the Govt. by pressing the demands for Home Rule during the War , Gandhi made it clear to the Viceroy as indeed his activities at Champaran and Kheda clearly showed , that he would not tolerate "the tyranny and wrong doing of he officials". True to his principle Gandhi had no hesitation in deciding to offer Satyagraha if the bills to this effect to the recommendations. In spite to his earnest pleading with the Viceroy, one of the two Bills was passed on 18 March 1919.         In the mean time

The Rowlatt Act, passed by the Imperial Legislative Council in London on March 10, 1919, indefinitely extending "emergency measures" (of the Defence of India Regulations Act) enacted during the First World War in order to control public unrest and root out conspiracy in India. Passed on the recommendations of the Rowlatt Committee and named after its president, British judge Sir Sidney Rowlatt, this act effectively authorized the government to imprison any person suspected of terrorism living in the Raj for up to two years without a trial, and gave the imperial authorities power to deal with all revolutionary activities. The unpopular legislation provided for stricter control of the press, arrests without warrant, indefinite detention without trial, and juryless in camera trials for proscribed political acts. The accused were denied the right to know the accusers and the evidence used in the trial. Those convicted were required to deposit securities upon release, and were prohibited from taking part in any political, educational, or religious activities.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, among other Indian leaders, was extremely critical of the Act and argued that not everyone should get punishment in response to isolated political crimes. The Act annoyed many Indian leaders and the public, which caused the government to implement repressive measures. Gandhi and others found that constitutional opposition to the measure was fruitless, so on April 6, a "hartal" was organised where Indians would suspend all business and fast as a sign of their opposition. This event is known as the Rowlatt Satyagraha. Gandhiji named the Rowlatt Act as "black act".

A separate body called Satyagraha Sabha was formed with Gandhi as its President and head quarters at Bombay. Gandhi proposed that the country should observe a Hartal in protest against this Rowlatt act. The date was first fixed on 30. March, 1919, later changed to 6th April.Gandhi's appeal for hartal met with a wonderful response all over India. Thus the hartal of 6th April 1919 marked out Gandhi as the all India leader and he was accepted as the uncrowned King of India. 

The Rowlatt Act came into effect in March 1919. In the Punjab the protest movement was very strong, and on April 10 two leaders of the congress, Dr. Satya Pal and Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew, were arrested and taken to an unknown place.

The army was called into Punjab, and on April 13 people from neighbouring villages gathered for Baisakhi Day celebrations in Amritsar, which led to the infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919.

Accepting the report of the Repressive Laws Committee, the Government of India repealed the Rowlatt Act, the Press Act, and twenty-two other laws in March 1922.