Which among the following was not one of the provisions of the ‘Communal Award’?

The Communal Award, announced by Ramsay MacDonald in August 1932, provided for separate electorates for Muslims, Sikhs, Europeans, and other minorities [c1, t1]. Crucially, it extended separate electorates to the 'Depressed Classes' (Scheduled Castes), granting them reserved seats to be filled through these electorates [c4, t2]. While the Award allowed for a review of the system after a period of time, it did not contain a provision stating that separate electorates would automatically lapse at the end of 10 years. This specific '10-year lapse' clause is often confused with the later constitutional provision for reservation in independent India (Article 334) or the review period of the Government of India Act 1919 [t3]. The Poona Pact later modified the Award by replacing separate electorates for Depressed Classes with reserved seats within the general Hindu electorate [c5, t4].

Sources

1. [1] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 1: Historical Background > The features of this Act were as follows: > p. 7
2. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 19: Civil Disobedience Movement and Round Table Conferences > Communal Award and Poona Pact > p. 389
3. [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 19: Civil Disobedience Movement and Round Table Conferences > Poona Pact > p. 392
4. [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communal_Award