Butler Committee (1927) objective – UPSC Prelims PYQ 2017

The object of the Butler Committee of 1927 was to

1. Define the jurisdiction of the Central and Provincial Governments.
2. Define the powers of the Secretary of State for India.
3. Impose censorship on the national press.
4. Improve the relationship between the Government of India and the Indian States.

Explanation

Option (d) is correct

• In 1927, the British government appointed a committee chaired by Harcourt Butler to investigate and clarify the relationship between the paramount power of the British Raj in India and the rulers of the Princely States. The committee’s report of 1929 reaffirmed the “paramountcy” doctrine. It also recommended that the state should not be transferred without their consent to a relationship with a new government in British India that is responsible for an Indian legislature.

Answer: (d) Improve the relationship between the Government of India and the Indian States; Difficulty Level: Hard