cover image: The Gazette of India  Delhi  Saturday  February 22  1919

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20.500.12592/5v4q1c

The Gazette of India Delhi Saturday February 22 1919

1919

In the course of the debate on the Criminal Law (Emergency Powers) Bill which is based as is the present Bill on the recommendations of the Rowlatt Comittee some Members of this Council expressed the view that they might have been able to support the measure if it had been of a temporary character and towards the close of the debate I was specifically asked by my Hon’ble friend Mr. [...] I refer to section 14 of the Evidence Act which says that where upon the trial of a person accused of an offence the previous commission by the accused of an offence is relevant within the meaning of this section the previous conviction of such person shall also be a relevant fact.' It is upon the lines of this section that the clause has been introduced into this Bill. [...] But my Lord our objections to the Bill * That in the motion for referring the Bib to Select Committee for the words on or before the 6th of March 1919 ' the words ' within six weeks after the passing in Parliament of the Reform Bill to be introduced to give effect to the Montagu-Chelmsford Report' be subetituted. [...] Finally I submit that the ordinary procedure which is prescribed for dealing with Bills shouldbe followed in the case of this Bill namely that the motion to-day should be limited to the introduction of the Bill that the Hon'ble the Home Member should drop the latter part of the proposal namely that it should be referred to a Select Committee and that the Bill should be circulated for opinio [...] But my Lord the danger is that in trying to protect honest policofficers in the discharge of their duty the Government have so enlarged the definition of a seditious document and so enlarged the scope of Chapter VI of the Indian Penal Code as to bring within the meaning of the word sedition' a new class of offence altogether.
government politics public policy
Pages
27
Published in
India
SARF Document ID
sarf.100008
Segment Pages Author Actions
The Gazette of India Delhi Saturday February 22 1919
121-146 unknown view