Consider the following statement regarding the Indian Council Act 1909:

1. The act empowered the members of the legislative council to ask supplementary questions and to move resolutions on the budget.

2. The act legalized communalism by giving a separate electorate to Muslims.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

The correct answer is Both 1 and 2.

Key Points

The Indian Council Act 1909 is also known as the Morley-Minto Reforms.

• Lord Morley was the Secretary of the State of India and Lord Minto was the then Viceroy of India.
• The act increased the size of the legislative council at both the central and provincial levels.
• It enlarged the functions of the legislative council at both levels.
  • Members were empowered to ask supplementary questions and move resolutions on the Budget. Hence statement 1 is correct.
  • The legislatures could now pass resolutions (which may or may not be accepted),
• It provided the association of Indians in the executive council of the Viceroy.
  • Satyendra Prasad Sinha was appointed as a law member and became the first Indian to join the executive council.
• The reformed councils still enjoyed no real power, being merely advisory bodies.
• The act introduced communal representation for Muslims.
  • The act accepted the separate electorate for Muslims.
  • This act legalized communalism and Lord Minto is also known as the Father of Communal Electorate. Hence statement 2 is correct.
  • Besides separate electorates for the Muslims, representation in excess of the strength of their population was accorded to the Muslims.
    • Also, the income qualification for Muslim voters was kept lower than that for Hindus.
• The number of elected members in the Imperial Legislative Council and the Provincial Legislative Councils was increased.
  • But most of the elected members were elected indirectly, by the provincial councils in the case of the Imperial Council and by municipal committees and district boards in the case of provincial councils.
  • Some of the elected seats were reserved for landlords and British capitalists in India. 
  • For instance, of the 68 members of the Imperial Legislative Council, 36 were officials and 5 were nominated non-officials. Of the 27 elected members, 6 were to represent the big landlords and 2 the British capitalists. 
  • In the provincial councils, a non-official majority was introduced, but since some of these non-officials were nominated and not elected, the overall non-elected majority remained. 
  • The elected members were to be indirectly elected. 
    • The local bodies were to elect an electoral college, which in turn would elect members of provincial legislatures, who in turn would elect members of the central legislature.