Which one of the following adumbrated principles and constitutional pr...
The Lucknow Pact was an agreement that reached between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League at the following joint session of both the parties held in Lucknow in December 1916 during A.C.Mazumdar as President.
Which one of the following adumbrated principles and constitutional pr...
The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 marked a significant step towards the establishment of responsible government in India. These reforms were based on the principles enshrined in the Lucknow Pact, which was signed between the Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League in 1916. The Lucknow Pact laid down the following principles:
1. Self-government: The pact demanded that India should be given the right to self-government within the British Empire.
2. Representation: It demanded that Indians should be adequately represented in the civil service, the army, and other branches of the administration.
3. Provincial autonomy: It demanded that the provincial governments should have greater autonomy and that the powers of the governor should be reduced.
4. Religious freedom: It demanded that all communities in India should be free to practice their religion without any hindrance.
5. Reforms: It demanded that a commission should be appointed to examine the Indian constitutional system and suggest reforms.
The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms incorporated most of these principles. The reforms provided for the following:
1. Dyarchy: The provincial subjects were divided into two categories - transferred and reserved. Transferred subjects were to be administered by the elected ministers, while reserved subjects were to be administered by the governor and his executive council.
2. Central legislature: The reforms established a bicameral central legislature consisting of the Council of States (Upper House) and the Legislative Assembly (Lower House). The majority of the members of the Legislative Assembly were to be elected on the basis of a limited franchise.
3. Provincial legislatures: The reforms established elected provincial legislatures with limited powers.
4. Diarchy at the Centre: The central subjects were divided into two categories - reserved and transferred. The reserved subjects were to be administered by the governor and his executive council, while the transferred subjects were to be administered by the ministers responsible to the legislature.
Thus, the Lucknow Pact provided the basis for the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, which laid the foundation for the future constitutional development of India.