Which of the following are true about Indian Press History ?
A. Lord Wellesley imposed Press Censorship in 1799
B. The Act of 1799 was known as 'The Censorship of the Press Act-1799
C. Lord William Bentinck brought The Liberation of the Indian Press Act, 1835
D. The Banning Press Act came in 1857
E. The Vernacular Press Act came in 1700
Choose the correct answer from the options given below :

Correct option is B

The correct answer is (b). Statements A and B are correct as Wellesley imposed censorship due to the French threat. Statement C is correct because while Charles Metcalfe passed the Act, the groundwork was laid during Bentinck's liberal era.
Information Booster

• Wellesley's 1799 Act required newspapers to print the names of the printer, editor, and proprietor.
• Charles Metcalfe is famously known as the 'Liberator of the Indian Press' for the Act of 1835.
• The 1835 Act repealed the restrictive 1823 Licensing Regulations.
• The 1857 Banning Act (Licensing Act) was a temporary measure introduced during the Revolt.
• The Vernacular Press Act was actually enacted in 1878 by Lord Lytton, not 1700.

• The Banning Act (1857): Imposed by Lord Canning to restrain the press during the uprising.
• Vernacular Press Act (1878): Aimed specifically at Indian language papers to suppress anti-British sentiment; repealed by Ripon in 1882.
• James Augustus Hickey: Published the first newspaper in India, 'The Bengal Gazette', in 1780.