Features of the Act of 1909

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Features of the Act of 1909
This Act is also known as Morley-Minto Reforms (Lord Morley was
the then Secretary of State for India and Lord Minto was the then Viceroy of India).
1. It considerably increased the size of the legislative councils, both Central and provincial. The
number of members in the Central Legislative Council was raised from 16 to 60. The number
of members in the provincial legislative councils was not uniform.
2. It retained official majority in the Central Legislative Council but allowed the provincial
legislative councils to have non-official majority.
3. It enlarged the deliberative functions of the legislative councils at both the levels. For
example, members were allowed to ask supplementary questions, move resolutions on the
budget, and so on.
4. It provided (for the first time) for the association of Indians with the executive Councils of the
Viceroy and Governors. Satyendra Prasad Sinha became the first Indian to join the
Viceroy’s Executive Council. He was appointed as the law member.
5. It introduced a system of communal representation for Muslims by accepting the concept of
‘separate electorate’. Under this, the Muslim members were to be elected only by Muslim
voters. Thus, the Act ‘legalised communalism’ and Lord Minto came to be known as the
Father of Communal Electorate.
6. It also provided for the separate representation of presidency corporations, chambers of
commerce, universities and zamindars.