Question

Why was the Vernacular Press Act passed by Britishers?

Answer 1

Hint: 1)The newspapers being published during that time, criticized the East India Company publicly.
2)The newspapers at that time were known for their provocative journalism.

Complete answer:
The Vernacular Press Act was passed by the British to restrict the freedom of the Indian press and to avoid any criticism towards the East India Company. The Act had been passed because the vernacular newspapers at that time were only criticizing the practices of the British Government and the East India Company. The newspapers were known for their provocative journalism and their favor towards the freedom of expression of Indians.

1)The Vernacular Press Act provided the following powers to the British Government;
2)The right to censor reports, editorials etc. at the Vernacular Press.
3)The right to keep track of the regular vernacular newspapers.

Once a newspaper was published, the government would read and judge it and if it was found seditious they would warn the particular newspaper.
When this act was passed, there were 35 active vernacular newspapers in Bengal. Out of these, 15 newspapers had printed 45 seditious articles in their issues. This was the incident that led to the enactment of the Vernacular Press Act.

Note: 1)Hickey’s Bengal Gazette was the first newspaper that was printed in Asia. It was printed in Calcutta.
2)It was founded by James Hickey. He was a strong critic of the administration of Governor General Warren Hastings, and so was the newspaper.
3)Since this newspaper criticized the East India Company, it was banned after two years of its foundation. The newspaper types and the printing press were seized by the East India Company.