ABSTRACT
The obnoxious acts provided for three kinds of punishment—fine, imprisonment, and deportation. The Courts were empowered to award all these punishments simultaneously, and Magistrates were given jurisdiction to impose the maximum penalties. The officials thought that the Indians would be so thoroughly demoralized as to surrender at discretion if they were deported to India. There was some ground for this belief. General Botha was willing to meet all the minor demands of Mahatma Gandhi and his followers. But the General was not ready to repeal the Asiatic Actor to amend the Immigrants’ Restriction Act. He also refused to remove the colour bar which has already been set up as the law of the land. The families of all jail-going Satyagrahis were maintained by a system of monthly allowances in cash according to their need. It would not do to grant an equal sum to all.
