ABSTRACT
The martial law of 1919 in the Punjab and the events which preceded its imposition were the result of the country-wide agitation against the Rowlatt Acts which began in February and March of that year. In November, 1918, when the war ended and the time came for the fulfillment of the promises made by the British, it seemed that the offer of political reform would be limited to some very minor changes and that Turkey would be treated harshly. The intriguing question came under discussion as to how the commissioner and Dyer had the right to suspend the constitution and general law on their own authority and to bestow on Dyer autocratic powers. On August 20, 1917, the Secretary of State for India, Edwin Montagu, made an historical announcement on behalf of the British government, in which, for the first time, it was stated that the ultimate objective of British policy in India was to establish representative institutions for self-government.
