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SSC Selection Post 2020 PYQ — Question 37

SSC Selection Post - Graduation Level 2020 - 9 Nov 2020 - Shift 2 • General Awareness • Q37

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The Vernacular Press Act was passed in British India in the year ______.
 

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Correct answer: D

Explanation

The correct answer is Option 4 i.e. 1878.

  • The Vernacular Press Act was passed in British India in the year 1878.
  • The Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was enacted by the British colonial government under Viceroy Lord Lytton to curtail the freedom of the Indian-language press. The primary objective was to suppress criticism of British policies and prevent the spread of nationalist ideas through regional newspapers.
  • This discriminatory law was widely criticized and considered a direct attack on the freedom of the Indian press, resulting in its repeal in 1881 during the reign of Lord Ripon.
  • The Vernacular Press Act, often nicknamed the “Gagging Act.”