The Deccan Agriculturalists 'Relief Act of 1879 was enacted with which one of the following objectives?

The Deccan Agriculturalists' Relief Act of 1879 was enacted as a conciliatory measure following the Deccan Riots of 1875 [1]. The riots were triggered by high revenue demands and the exploitation of peasants by moneylenders, leading to widespread indebtedness [4]. The primary objective of the Act was to provide relief to indebted agriculturists [4]. It introduced several legal protections, such as empowering courts to examine the history of debt transactions and go behind the bond to ensure fair interest rates. Crucially, it provided legal aid to insolvent peasants by preventing them from being arrested or imprisoned for debt and allowing for the discharge of debts through insolvency proceedings [4]. While the British later restricted land transfers to non-agriculturists in other regions like Punjab, the 1879 Act specifically focused on legal relief and procedural safeguards for the indebted peasantry in the Deccan [1].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 31: Peasant Movements 1857-1947 > Deccan Riots > p. 577
2. [3] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: COLONIALISM AND THE COUNTRYSIDE > p. 251
3. [4] https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/19144/1/A1879-17.pdf