The Anarchical and Revolutionary Crime Act (1919) was popularly known as the

The Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919 was the official name of the legislation that became popularly known as the Rowlatt Act, having been passed as an extension of wartime repressive measures in March 1919 [1]. The measure concentrated extraordinary powers in the hands of the colonial state—allowing detention without trial and broad authority to suppress political activities—which provoked widespread outrage and a country‑wide satyagraha led by Mahatma Gandhi, including hartals and protests against its hurried passage through the Imperial Legislative Council [2]. Because of its repressive character and its association with Justice Sidney Rowlatt’s committee, the Act entered history under the eponym “Rowlatt Act.”

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 15: Emergence of Gandhi > The Rowlatt Act > p. 320
2. [2] India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Nationalism in India > 1.2 The Rowlatt Act > p. 31