Simon Commission 1927: Objectives, Recommendations, Impact

The Simon Commission, also known as the Indian Statutory Commission 1927, was formed on 26 November 1927 and sent to India on 3 February 1928 to fulfill Indians’ demands for constitutional reforms. Apart from the Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, the formation of the Simon Commission caused Indians to erupt in anger for the third time.

In the history of India’s independence movement, the appointment of the Simon Commission in 1927 helped strengthen and expand the nationalist movement. Leaders of various groups in India forgot their differences with each other and became vocal in protest against this commission’s appointment. Eventually, these protests paved the way for the Civil Disobedience Movement.

What is Simon Commission?

Due to the failure of the Government of India Act 1919 and in response to demands for Indian constitutional reforms, the British government formed a commission of seven members from the British Parliament in 1927. Sir John Simon, a Liberal Party MP, was the leader of this commission. For this reason, this commission became known as the ‘Simon Commission.’ The commission was primarily formed with the aim of constitutional reforms in India.

Objectives of Simon Commission

The Simon Commission 1927 has the following objectives:

1. To evaluate the effectiveness of the Montagu Chelmsford Reforms of 1919.
2. To assess the administrative capabilities of Indians.
3. To determine how much constitutional reform would be needed in the future.

Background of Simon Commission

• The Government of India Act 1919 contained a provision stating that a commission would be appointed after ten years to determine what further reforms were needed to establish responsible governance in India. Indian political leaders repeatedly reminded the government about this condition and demanded the appointment of a representative committee to reform the Government of India Act. However, the government did not give much importance to this demand.
• But towards the end of 1926, Lord Birkenhead, the Secretary of State for India, who was a Conservative Party leader and staunch imperialist, realized that his party had little chance of winning in the upcoming British general election. He convinced the British Prime Minister that if the Labour Party won the general election in England, British interests in India would be endangered. This was because the Labour Party was sympathetic to Indian demands. Therefore, if a commission could be appointed and a constitutional draft prepared based on its recommendations before the general election, it would bind the hands of any subsequent Labour Party government.
• Following Lord Birkenhead’s advice, the Simon Commission was formed on 26 November 1927, even before the completion of ten years, as the Conservative Party anticipated defeat by the Labour Party. Additionally, the youth movement led by Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose and the Hindu-Muslim riots accelerated the path to the formation of this commission. However, on the advice of Viceroy Lord Irwin, there was not a single Indian included in this seven-member committee. All seven were Englishmen, and John Simon was appointed as the commission’s chairman.

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Seven Members of Simon Commission 1927

The seven Englishmen members of the Simon Commission 1927 were:

1. Sir John Simon: as the chairman of this Commission, was one of the British Leaders in politics.
2. Clement Attlee: a future Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, is known to have played a pivotal role during the Indian independence.
3. Edward Cadogan: was a member of the Conservative party and was a lawyer by profession.
4. Henry Gillett: was an active banker and a parliamentarian from the Conservative Party.
5. George Lane-Fox: a member of the conservative party who was also active in the agriculture and countryside issues. 
6. Donald Sterling Palmer Howard, 3rd Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal: was a British political peer and a prominent politician. 
7. Vernon Hartshorn: was a prominent British politician.

Recommendations of Simon Commission

• The two-volume report of the Simon Commission was published on 27 May 1930. It proposed abolishing the dyarchy system, establishing representative governments in the provinces, and granting autonomy to each province.
• The report stated that the governor’s powers should be increased in terms of internal security and administration to protect the interests of various communities.
• An increase in the number of provincial legislative assembly members was also proposed.
• The report rejected the central parliamentary responsibility. The Governor General was given complete power to appoint cabinet members. Additionally, the law stated that the Government of India would have complete control over the High Courts.
• This commission recommended that separate communal electorates should be maintained until there was at least some reduction in tension and resentment between Hindu and Muslim communities. The report also did not accept universal suffrage.
• According to this report, it was recommended to introduce local legislatures in the North-West Frontier Province and Baluchistan, along with giving these two provinces the right of central representation.
• Following this commission’s recommendations, Sindh was separated from Bombay and Burma from India, since Burma does not belong to the Indian subcontinent by nature.
• It accepted the idea of federalism but did not plan to implement it soon. It proposed the formation of a “Consultative Council of Greater India,” which should include representatives from both British provinces and princely states.
• Additionally, the Indianization of the Indian Army was suggested, while retaining British forces. There was also a proposal to fully equip India’s military capabilities.
• The Simon Commission 1927 report was discussed at the three Round Table Conferences held in London during the following periods:
  • First session: 12th November 1930 to 19th January 1931.
  • Second session: 7th September to 1st December 1931.
  • Third session: 17th November to 24th December, 1932.

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Indian Reaction and Boycott against Simon Commission

• After the Simon Commission’s decisions were announced, an atmosphere of intense agitation spread throughout India. This commission did not have any Indian members. The fact that a commission whose report would shape India’s future constitution had no Indian representatives was considered a ‘national insult’ by Indians. In 1927, at the Congress’s Madras session under Dr. Ansari’s presidency, the decision to boycott the Simon Commission was taken. Tanguturi Prakasam was killed by police firing in Madras. The Indian National Congress, the Muslim League, the Hindu Mahasabha, and even the moderate Liberal Federation decided to boycott this commission.
• When the Simon Commission arrived in Bombay on February 3, 1928, a spontaneous hartal (strike) was observed. Black flags were shown to the commission, and everywhere the slogan “Go Back Simon” was raised. The Indian National Congress transformed the anti-Simon Commission boycott into a mass movement against the government. When police launched brutal attacks on protesting crowds, public resentment increased further. Among numerous public meetings, the gathering at Bombay’s Chowpatty Beach was the largest. In Calcutta, Lahore, and Lucknow, under Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman’s initiative, kites with “Go Back Simon” written on them were flown in the sky.
• On February 16, radical leader Lala Lajpat Rai first raised the proposal to boycott the Simon Commission in the Central Legislative Assembly, and this proposal was widely acclaimed with ‘Vande Mataram’ chants. On October 30, 1928, while leading an anti-Simon Commission procession on the streets of Lahore, respected leader Lala Lajpat Rai was severely injured by police. As a result, he died on 17th November. In the United Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh), Jawaharlal Nehru and Govind Ballabh Pant were also seriously injured by police batons. The anti-Simon Commission movement continued for 2 years. Despite strong opposition from Indians, the commission continued its investigation and published its report on May 27, 1930. The Government of India Act 1935 was drafted based on this report.

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Impact of Simon Commission

• The appointment of the Simon Commission influenced India’s nationalist movement in three ways. Firstly, by not including any Indians in this commission, the imperialistic and autocratic character of the British was exposed once again. It was proved again that the British had learned nothing from all previous movements; their attitude remained inflexible, and they placed no value on Indians’ political hopes and aspirations.
• Secondly, this reactionary policy of the British government united Indian leaders. Every major political party in India, including Congress, Hindu Mahasabha, and Muslim League, opposed this commission.
• Thirdly, as a result of this British policy, many people’s political ideology and ambitions became more intense. Indian leaders moved beyond the demand for self-governance and became vocal in demanding complete independence, or Swaraj. Dominion Status could no longer satisfy them. Along with political demands, Indians also began to raise certain social and economic demands.
• Along with boycotting the Simon Commission, Indian leaders prepared to draft a new constitution. Secretary of State for India Lord Birkenhead had challenged the Swaraj Party to draft a constitution that would protect the interests of all Indian people. For this purpose, an all-party conference was called. On May 19, 1928, at an all-party conference in Bombay, a committee was formed under Motilal Nehru’s chairmanship to draft an alternative constitution for India. This committee’s report became famous as the ‘Nehru Report.’
• In 1929, at the Lahore session of the Indian National Congress under Jawaharlal Nehru’s presidency, complete independence was declared.

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