Indian Councils Act 1909-Minto Morley

Provisions of the Indian Councils Act of 1909 (Minto Morley Reforms)

1. The Act amended the Indian Councils Act 1861 and the Indian Councils Act 1892
2. The members of the Legislative Councils, both in the centre and in the provinces, were to be of four categories:

• Ex officio members (Governor General and the members of their Executive Councils)
• Nominated official members (those nominated by the Governor General and were government officials)
• Nominated non-official members (nominated by the Governor General but were not government officials)
• Elected members (elected by different categories of Indian people)

3. It considerably increased the size of the legislative councils, both Central and provincial. The number of members in the Central Legislative Council was raised from 16 to 60. The number of members in the provincial legislative councils was not uniform. Legislative councils of Bengal, Bombay and Madras was increased to 50 members each.
4. It retained official majority in the Central Legislative Council but allowed the provincial legislative councils to have non-official majority.
5. It enlarged the deliberative functions of the legislative councils at both the levels. For example, members were allowed to the legislatures could now pass resolutions (which may not be accepted), ask questions and supplementary questions, discuss the budgets, suggest the amendments, and even to vote on them; excluding those items that were included as non-vote items. Also they could vote separate items in the budget but the budget as a whole could not be voted upon.
6. The Governor-General was empowered to nominate one Indian member to his Executive Council. Satyendra Prasad Sinha became the first Indian to join the Viceroy’s Executive Council. He was appointed as the law member.
7. It introduced a system of communal representation for Muslims by accepting the concept of ‘separate electorate’. Under this, the Muslim members were to be elected only by Muslim voters. Thus, the Act ‘legalised communalism’ and Lord Minto came to be known as the Father of Communal Electorate.