Morley-Minto Reforms: Provisions, Impact & Communal Consequences

Learn about the Morley-Minto Reforms or Indian Councils Act 1909, its key provisions, impacts on Indian politics, and rise of communal divisions.

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The Morley-Minto Reforms, also known as the Indian Councils Act of 1909, were a series of reforms enacted by the British Parliament in 1909. The reforms were a response to the growing nationalist movement in India and the demands for greater participation in governance. 


  • They were also influenced by the Shimla Deputation, a group of Muslim elites who met with Lord Minto and demanded separate electorates for Muslims.

Morley-Minto Reforms: Positive and Negative Impacts of the 1909 Act

Positive Features

Negative Features

  • Increased Representation: The reforms increased the number of Indian members in the Central Legislative Council and provincial legislative councils, providing more opportunities for Indians to participate in governance.
  • Communal Divide: The reforms introduced separate electorates for Muslims, which fostered communalism and hindered India’s historical progress toward unity.
  • Separate Electorates: The reforms introduced separate electorates for Muslims, ensuring their representation in legislative councils and addressing their concerns about underrepresentation.
  • Limited Progress: The reforms did not provide real power to the legislative councils, as members were still chosen indirectly and the councils did not have any actual powers, such as budget debate.
  • Indirect Elections: The reforms introduced indirect elections, where local bodies elected an electoral college, which in turn elected members of provincial legislatures, who then elected members of the central legislature.
  • Limited Association of Indians: The reforms limited the association of Indians with the executive councils of the Viceroy and Governors, with only one Indian member appointed to the Viceroy’s Executive Council.
  • Deliberative Functions: The reforms enlarged the deliberative functions of the legislative councils at both the central and provincial levels, allowing members to ask supplementary questions, move resolutions on the budget, and so on.
  • Limited Franchise: The reforms introduced a restricted franchise, excluding women from voting rights and limiting the franchise in other ways.
  • Association with Executive Councils: The reforms provided for the association of Indians with the executive councils of the Viceroy and Governors, with Satyendra Prasad Sinha becoming the first Indian to join the Viceroy’s Executive Council.
  • No Self-Governance: The reforms did not provide for self-governance or parliamentary accountability, which was a major disappointment for nationalists.

Morley-Minto Reforms Impact: Division and Communalism

  • Divided Nationalist Forces: The reforms divided the nationalist forces by confounding the Moderates and hindering the emergence of solidarity among Indians.
  • Stifling Nationalist Unity: The reforms stifled the emergence of nationalist unity by introducing separate electorates and indirect elections, which created divisions among Indians.
  • Communal Tensions: The reforms exacerbated communal tensions by introducing separate electorates for Muslims and Hindus, which led to further divisions and conflicts.

Overall, the Morley-Minto Reforms were a mixed bag, providing some opportunities for Indian participation in governance but also introducing communal divisions and limiting the power of legislative councils.



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