Q: The Government of India Act of 1919 clearly defined
a) The separation of power between the judiciary and the legislature
b) The jurisdiction of the central and provincial governments
c) The powers of the Secretary of State for India and Viceroy
d) None of the above
Answer – The correct answer is Option 2.
Government of India Act of 1919
- It was passed in 1919 and went into effect in 1921.
- It is also known as the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (Montagu was the Secretary of State for India and Lord Chelmsford was the Viceroy of India).
- It delineated and separated the central and provincial topics, easing central control over the provinces. Hence, Option 2 is correct.
- The national and provincial legislatures were given the authority to pass laws on the issues on their respective lists.
- The government’s organizational structure remained centralized and unitary.
- The provincial subjects were further separated into two categories: transferred and reserved.
- The Governor was to oversee the transferred subjects with the assistance of Ministers answerable to the legislative council.
- The Governor and his executive council were to handle the restricted topics without reporting to the legislative council. This dual governing structure was known as ‘dyarchy,’ a term derived from the Greek word diarchy, which means “dual rule.”
- It established bicameralism and direct elections in the country for the first time.
- A bicameral legislature made up of an Upper House (Council of State) and a Lower House took the role of the Indian Legislative Council (Legislative Assembly).
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