Morley Minto Reforms (Indian Councils Act 1909) - NCERT Notes for UPSC

The Morley-Minto Reforms or the Indian Councils Act of 1909 was an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament. It was titled after John Morley, Secretary of State for India, and Lord Minto, the Viceroy of India, who introduced the reforms. The primary aim of the Morley-Minto Reforms was to increase Indian participation in the central and provincial administration, but in a limited manner. A key feature of the Morley-Minto Reforms was the introduction of the separate electorate system.

The topic Morley-Minto Reforms is important from the perspective of UPSC General Studies Paper-1 in the UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination. The topic is a part of the Indian National Movement from the Modern History part of Paper 1 in the UPSC Mains exam.

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The Morley-Minto Reforms were reforms introduced by the British in 1909 to the manner in which India was governed. The British government passed these changes to give some Indians a chance to be more involved in the decision-making of the country. Before these reforms, the British controlled most of the government, but the Morley-Minto reforms allowed more Indian leaders to join the decision-making process.

These reforms were named after two British leaders: John Morley, who was the Secretary of State for India, and Lord Minto, the Viceroy of India at that time. The main change was that more Indians were given seats in the legislative councils, which were groups that helped make laws. However, these councils still did not have much power. The British continued to control the important decisions.

One of the biggest changes in the Morley-Minto reforms was the introduction of separate electorates for Muslims. This meant that Muslims would elect their own leaders separately from the Hindus. This was a big change, as it marked the first time religion played a role in elections in India.

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Background of the Morley Minto Reforms 1909

Though Queen Victoria promised to treat Indians equally and provide equal opportunities for the Indians, only very few Indians received that opportunity. British officials denied working together with Indians.

The Indian National Congress acknowledged the difficulties faced by the Indians to enter the Civil Service. So the Congress began to demand for representation of more Indians in the Legislature. The moderates set forth certain demands to the government as the Extremism was expanding within the Congress. The British government accepted certain demands in order to placate the Moderates and they were introduced under the Morley Minto reforms.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale on behalf of Congress visited the Secretary of State John Morley and demanded self- government in India. A group of Muslims led by Agha Khan (Simla Deputation) met the Viceroy Lord Minto and demanded separate electorates for the Muslims.

The 1906 general election was won by the British Liberal Party. This increased the chances for Reforms in British India. They believed that increasing the representation of natives in the Legislatures would enhance their rule in India. Thus the Secretary of State, John Morley and the Viceroy, Lord Minto put forth some measures which came to be known as the Morley – Minto reforms.

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Some of the important provisions of the Morley – Minto Reforms are as follows:

• The size of both the Central and the Provincial Legislatures were increased.
• The number of members in the Central Legislative Council was increased from 16 to 60.
• At the Provincial Legislative Councils, the number of total members was not uniform and it varied from Province to Province.
• Majority of the members in the Central Legislative Council were the official members.
• In the Provincial Legislative Council, the non official members were in the majority.
• According to Sumit Sarkar, the central Legislative Council had 69 members. 

• Morley – Minto Reform 1909 mentions that, for the elected members, an indirect election was carried out.
  • Local bodies elected the electoral college, who in turn elected the Provincial Legislative Council members, who in turn elected the Central Legislative Council members.
• The powers and functions of the members of Legislative Councils at both center and province were enlarged.
  • They could ask questions, supplementaries, pass resolutions, vote separate items of the budget.
• An Indian, Satyendra Prasad Sinha was appointed into the Viceroy’s Executive Council for the first time. He was appointed as a law member.
• Two Indians were nominated for the Council of Secretary of State for Indian affairs. They were Krishna G Gupta and Sayid Hussain Bilgrami.
• Separate representation was also provided for zamindars, universities, chambers of commerce and presidency corporations.
• A separate electorate was given to the Muslims in which the Muslim members were elected by the Muslims.
• Thus the communal representation system was legalised under the Morley – Minto Reform 1909. For this Lord Minto came to be known as the father of communal electorate.

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How did Morley-Minto Reforms lead to the partition of the country?

The Morley-Minto Reforms made some important changes, but they also caused problems. The Muslims' own electorates enabled Muslims to vote for their own leaders, which made them distinguish themselves from Hindus. Previously, Hindus and Muslims cooperated in some political activities, but subsequently, they began to concentrate on their respective religious communities. This division resulted in the development of two distinct political groups:

one Hindu, which was led by the Indian National Congress, and

one Muslim, which was headed by the All India Muslim League.

With the passage of time, the gap between these two kept widening. The Muslims felt that their interests were not being adequately looked into, and they began to demand a Muslim state, known as Pakistan. The separate electorates and the increasing divide between Hindus and Muslims played a key role in this demand.

In 1947, after years of disagreement and tension, India was divided into two countries: India and Pakistan. The Morley-Minto Reforms were one of the first steps that led to this division.

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Significance of Morley-Minto Reforms

The Morley-Minto Reforms were very important for several reasons:

• Increased Indian Participation: Before these reforms, most Indian people had no say in how the country was run. These reforms allowed Indians a larger participation in the process of decision-making and gave them higher powers within government.
• Separate Electorates: Creating separate electorates for Muslims gave them the chance to elect their own representatives. While this was seen as a way of protecting Muslim interests, it also created a divide between Hindus and Muslims that increased with time.
• Platform for Future Reforms: These reforms served as stepping stones to future change in the Indian political system.The reforms may have been little by little, yet they demonstrated the beginning of realizing that India must have participation involved.
• Emergence of New Political Parties: The reforms also gave rise to new political parties such as the Muslim League, which started working for the rights of Muslims in India.

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Criticisms of the Morley Minto Reforms

Some of the key criticisms against the Morley-Minto reforms are as follows:

• The Congress leaders were not content with the Morley – Minto reforms. They called for the responsible government while the Reform was concerned with enhancing the natives' representation in Legislatures.
• The major defect of the reform was the introduction of separate electorates to the Muslims. This created rupture in Hindu – Muslim unity and paved the way for the partition of the country.
• Muslims were given a separate electorate along with a large number of seats which were reserved unproportionately to their population.
• The election method was too indirect and also there were inequalities in the franchise.
• The British aimed to divide the Nationalists ranks and turn Moderates and Muslims against the nationalism tide.
• The Legislative Councils had no control over the Executives. They acted independently.
• The people of the country demanded self-government whereas the Morley – Minto Reform of 1909 gave them benevolent despotism.

You may also check the NCERT Notes on Government of India Act 1919 here.

Evaluation of the Morley-Minto Reforms

The Morley-Minto Reforms had both positive and negative effects:

Positive Effects

• The reforms enabled more Indians to enter the government and express their views.
• They provided Muslims with the opportunity to vote for their representatives, making them feel more integrated.
• The reforms were a move towards self-rule, and that resulted in greater Indian participation in decision-making.

Negative Effects

• The separate electorates created divisions between Hindus and Muslims. This division eventually grew and led to the demand for a separate Muslim state.
• Even though more Indians were included in the legislative councils, the British still had control over the important decisions.
• The reforms did not give India full independence or much control over its own future.

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