Which one of the following statements about the Ilbert Bill is correct

Which one of the following statements about the Ilbert Bill is correct ?

It proposed that the Indian magistrates would try Europeans in criminal cases.

It allowed Indians to file criminal cases against Europeans.

It authorized Indian ICS officers to try Europeans in courts.

It was an agitation led by Ilbert in support of the nationalists.

Answer is Right!

Answer is Wrong!

This question was previously asked in

UPSC NDA-2 – 2017

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The Ilbert Bill, introduced in 1883, aimed to address racial discrimination in the judiciary of British India.

The bill proposed to empower Indian judges and magistrates in the mofussil (district areas outside presidency towns) to try European British subjects in criminal cases. Before this bill, European offenders could only be tried by European judges, which was seen as a form of racial privilege and discrimination against Indian judges and the Indian population.

The Ilbert Bill faced intense opposition from the European community in India, leading to the “White Mutiny” or Ilbert Bill controversy. The government ultimately had to make significant amendments, introducing a compromise whereby Europeans could demand a jury, half of which must be European. The controversy exposed the deep racial biases within the colonial system and had a significant impact on the nationalist movement, highlighting the need for political organization and agitation. Option C is also factually correct that it authorized Indian ICS officers to try Europeans, as these magistrates were often ICS officers, but option A more directly states the core jurisdictional change: allowing Indian magistrates (who could be ICS officers) to try European criminal cases. Option A is a more direct description of the proposal’s effect.

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