A repressive law (the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act, 1919) that empowered the British government to detain political suspects without trial, provoking the first nationwide agitation led by Gandhi.
- Based on the recommendations of the Rowlatt Committee, headed by Sir Sidney Rowlatt, set up to investigate "revolutionary" activity.
- Authorised detention without trial, trial by special courts without juries or appeal, and severe restrictions on civil liberties; nationalists summed it up as "no appeal, no vakil (lawyer), no daleel (argument)".
- Provoked Gandhi to call a nationwide hartal (strike) and launch the Rowlatt Satyagraha in 1919, his first all-India agitation.
- The agitation in Punjab led to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre at Amritsar on 13 April 1919, when General Dyer ordered firing on an unarmed crowd.
- Was a turning point that shattered Indian faith in British "reform" and pushed many moderates towards mass nationalism.
The Rowlatt Act is a textbook case of suspension of civil liberties and detention without trial, directly linked to Jallianwala Bagh, a major human-rights and security item.
The Rowlatt Act (1919) authorised detention without trial; it preceded and triggered the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, but the two are distinct events of the same year.
1919 Rowlatt Act: detention without trial ("no appeal, no vakil, no daleel"); triggered Gandhi's first all-India satyagraha and led to Jallianwala Bagh.