Growth of Indian Press

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  • James Augustus Hickey in 1780 started The Bengal Gazette or Calcutta General Advertiser, the first newspaper in India, which was seized in 1872 because of its outspoken criticism of the Government.
  • Later, The Bengal Journal, The Calcutta Chronicle, The Madras Courier, The Bombay Herald.
Repressive Measures against free Press
  • Censorship of Press Act, 1799
    • Lord Wellesley enacted when French invasion of India, wartime press restrictions.
    • Restrictions were relaxed under Lord Hastings.
    • 1818, pre-censorship was dispensed with.
  • Licensing Regulations, 1823
    • Governor-general, John Adams enacted, starting or using a press without licence was a penal offence.
    • Later, extended to cover journals, pamphlets and books.
    • Directed chiefly against Indian language newspapers or those edited by Indians.
    • Rammohan Roy’s Mirat-ul-Akbar had to stop publication.
  • Press Act of 1835 or Metcalfe Act
    • Metcalfe (governor-general—1835-36), liberator of the Indian press.
    • Give a precise account of premises of a publication and cease functioning.
  • Licensing Act, 1857
    • Caused by the 1857 revolt, imposed licensing restrictions in addition to the already existing registration procedure laid down by Metcalfe Act.
    • Government reserved the right to stop publication and circulation of any book, newspaper or printed matter.
  • Registration Act, 1867
    • Replaced Metcalfe’s Act of 1835 and was of a regulatory, not restrictive, nature.
      1. Every book/newspaper was required to print the name of the printer and the publisher and the place of the publication.
      2. Copy as to be submitted to the local government within one month of the publication of a book.
Struggle by Early Nationalists to Rise of Press
  • Early as 1824, Raja Rammohan Roy had protested.
  • Early phase of nationalist movement 1870 to 1918, mass agitation or active mobilisation of masses through open meetings, press proved a crucial tool.
    • The Hindu and Swadesamitran under G. Subramaniya Aiyar,
    • The Bengalee under Surendranath Banerjea,
    • Voice of India under Dadabhai Naoroji,
    • Amrita Bazar Patrika under Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh,
    • Indian Mirror under N.N. Sen,
    • Kesari (in Marathi) and Maharatta (in English) under Balgangadhar Tilak,
    • Sudharak under Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, and
    • Hindustan and Advocate under G.P. Verma.
    • Other main newspapers included, Tribune and Akbhar-i-am in Punjab, Gujarati, Indu Prakash, Dhyan Prakash and Kal in Bombay and Som Prakash, Banganivasi and Sadharani in Bengal.
  • Not established as profitmaking business ventures but seen as rendering national and public service.
  • Newspaper reach cities, towns & also Remote Village. discussed thoroughly in the ‘local libraries’.
  • Libraries served the purpose of not only political education but also of political participation.
  • Government on its part had enacted many strident laws, such as Section 124 A of the Indian Penal Code which provided that anyone trying to cause disaffection against the British Government in India was to be transported for life or for any term or imprisoned up to three years.
  • Nationalist-minded journalists clever strategems to subvert these legal hurdles.
  • Writings hostile to the government used to be prefaced with sentiments of loyalty to the government or critical writings of socialists or Irish nationalists from newspapers in England used to be quoted.
  • Indian newspapers became highly critical of Lord Lytton’s administration especially regarding its inhuman treatment to victims of the famine of 1876-77
Vernacular Press Act, 1878
  • Vernacular Press Act (VPA) was designed to ‘better control’ the vernacular press and effectively punish and repress seditious writing.
  • District magistrate was empowered to call upon the printer and publisher, bond with the government undertaking not to cause disaffection against the government or antipathy between persons of different religions, caste, race through published material.
  • Printer and publisher, deposit security contravened the Act, press equipment could be seized if the offence re-occurred.
  • Magistrate’s action was final.
  • vernacular newspaper could get exemption from the operation of the Act by submitting proofs to a government censor.
  • Nick name “the gagging Act
    • Discrimination between English and vernacular press.
    • No right of appeal.
  • Amrita Bazar Patrika turned overnight into an English newspaper to escape the VPA.
  • Pre-censorship clause was repealed, Press commissioner was appointed.
  • Strong opposition to the Act, Finally Ripon repealed it in 1882.
  • 1883, Surendranath Banerjea became the first Indian journalist to be imprisoned. The Bengalee, criticised a judge of Calcutta High Court
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
  • He is most frequently associated with the nationalist fight for the freedom of press building up anti-imperialist sentiments through Ganapati festivals (started in 1893), Shivaji festivals (started in 1896) and through his newspapers Kesari and Maharatta.
  • Advocate bringing the lower middle classes, the peasants, artisans and workers into the Congress fold.
  • 1896-97 he initiated a no-tax campaign in Maharashtra, urging farmers to withhold the payment of revenue if their crop had failed
  • Tilak supported government measures to check plague. but against heartless and harsh methods.
  • Measure resulted in murder of the chairman of the Plague Committee in Poona by the Chapekar brothers.
  • Tilak was arrested 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. Imprisonment of eighteen months.
  • Other editors in Bombay presidency were tried and given similar harsh sentences, widespread protests against these measures. Overnight Tilak became a national hero, title of "Lokmanya"
  • Added another Section 153A - 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. led to nation-wide protests.
  • During Swadeshi and Boycott Movements and due to rise of militant nationalist trends.
Newspaper (Incitement to Offences) Act, 1908
  • Against Extremist nationalist activity, empowered magistrates to confiscate press property.
  • Tilak as the leader of militant nationalists was tried on charges of sedition and transported to Mandalay (Burma) for six years, led to countrywide protests.
Indian Press Act, 1910
  • Revived the worst features of the VPA - ocal government was empowered to demand a security at registration from the printer/publisher and fortfeit/deregister.
  • Submit two copies to local government free of charge.
During and After the First World War
  • Press Acts of 1908 and 1910 were repealed.
  • Indian Press (Emergency Powers) Act, 1931 - sweeping powers to provincial governments to suppress propaganda for Civil Disobedience Movement.
During the Second World War
  • Pre-censorship was imposed and amendments made in Press Emergency Act and Official Secrets Act.
  • One time, publication of all news related to Congress activity was declared illegal.

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