Vision Academy EducareVision Academy Educare
Question 54 of 69 · Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence
Questionhard
This question was previously asked in

Railway

In the 'Great Trial' of 1922, which followed the Non-Cooperation Movement, Gandhi was tried for sedition and sentenced to six years' imprisonment by Judge:

Answer View answer ▾

Answer: Option B — C. N. Broomfield

Detailed Solution

  • Broomfield. In the "Great Trial" of March 1922, Mahatma Gandhi was tried for sedition at Ahmedabad by Judge C. N. Broomfield, the District and Sessions Judge, and was sentenced to six years' imprisonment.

Background:

  • Gandhi was arrested on 10 March 1922, soon after the Non-Cooperation Movement was withdrawn.
  • He was charged with sedition under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, for three articles he had written in his weekly paper "Young India" in 1921-1922, which criticised the British government.
  • Shankarlal Banker, the publisher of "Young India", was also tried.

The trial:

  • The trial was held on 18 March 1922 at the Circuit House in Ahmedabad.
  • Gandhi pleaded guilty to all the charges.
  • In a famous statement, he explained how he had changed from a loyal supporter of the British Empire to an uncompromising "disaffectionist" and "non-cooperator".
  • He said that "non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good".
  • He asked the judge either to resign or to give him the severest penalty, if he believed that the law was good.

The judge's response:

Judge Broomfield was respectful towards Gandhi; he said that Gandhi was in a different category from any person he had ever tried, and that in the eyes of millions of his countrymen, Gandhi was a great patriot and leader.

He sentenced Gandhi to six years of simple imprisonment, following the sentence given to Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1908.

He said that if the government later reduced the period and released Gandhi, no one would be better pleased than he.

Gandhi bowed to the judge, and was taken to prison.

Release:

Gandhi was released in February 1924, after an operation for appendicitis, on grounds of ill health.

Significance:

The trial became famous as one of the greatest political trials in history, because of Gandhi's statement.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Sidney Rowlatt headed a committee on revolutionary crime.
  • ✗Sir John Simon headed a statutory commission.
  • ✗Elijah Impey was the first Chief Justice at Calcutta.

Quick tip

Remember: "Great Trial" (18 March 1922, Ahmedabad) = Judge C. N. Broomfield; Gandhi pleaded guilty to sedition (Section 124A; articles in "Young India"); sentenced to six years; released February 1924.

💬 Discussions on this question

Ask a doubt ›

Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.

Ask a doubt

More Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence Questions

View all ›
  1. Q1.The Quit India Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi on:
  2. Q2.Who started the secret Congress Radio during the Quit India Movement?
  3. Q3.The Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928 was led by:
  4. Q4.The Harijan Sevak Sangh was founded in 1932 by:
  5. Q5.Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest against:

More General Knowledge Questions

  1. Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
  2. Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
  3. Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
  4. Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
  5. Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms

Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the freedom struggle from Gandhi's return to India in 1915 to independence in 1947: the Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad movements, the Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh, the Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience and Quit India movements, the Round Table Conferences, the Cripps Mission, the Cabinet Mission and the partition of India. Most questions ask about the year, cause or result of a movement, or the event that ended it. For example, the Chauri Chaura incident (1922) led Gandhi to call off the Non-Cooperation Movement, and the Dandi March (1930) started the Civil Disobedience Movement. Learning these events on a timeline is the best way to avoid confusion. Practise the Gandhian era questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

‹ All Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence questionsBrowse all topics ›