Browsing by Subject "Colonial"

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Open Access
The Origin and Growth of Kalimpong as an Urban Hill Station in Colonial India: A Historical Study
(University of North Bengal, 2018-03) Roy, Dipesh
Urbanization has not been uniform all over the world. Different ages have witnessed localized growth. The degree of urbanization of a nation is generally defined as a proportion of the population resident in urban places. Kalimpong as a hill urban centre was developed later than the most hill stations in India. Kalimpong was nowhere on the map of India before 1865. Actually, the region of Kalimpong was originally a part of Sikkim from which it was taken over by Bhutan. Finally following a defeat in the Anglo- Bhutanese war in 1865 Bhutan handed over the tract to the British government of India in 1865. The trend of urbanization in Kalimpong was not same as the satellite town of Darjeeling rather Kalimpong civil station had a character of its own, totally different from the seasonal retreats by virtue of their social life, their good spirits and style. Above all it was meant for the Indians and Anglo- Indians.
Open Access
Sedition: Prince Closing Up on Kingship
(University of North Bengal, 2023-09) Singh, Guru Prasad
In May 2022, the Hon'ble Apex Court recently ordered that the colonial-era sedition law under Sec. 124A of the Indian Penal Code should be kept in abeyance until the Centre has reconsidered it. In this context, it becomes pertinent to submit that the history of the law relating to sedition in India is very tainted. The law that was once used to prosecute some of our greatest freedom fighters still exists today in our statute book. In free India, when some of the High Courts had started declaring the law's unconstitutionality, it was finally the turn of our Apex Court to show up and uphold its constitutionality. The survival of this provision in free India in the paradigm of parameters set out in Part III of the Constitution is a fascinating and problematic story. This research work traces the origin of Sedition Law in the Indian Penal Code and also elaborates upon its survival in the post–constitutional regime. There has been a drastic increase in Sedition cases recently, and suppressing dissent and discourse during Covid-19 has reminded us of the misuse of this law against one of our greatest freedom fighters, viz. Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Is it a situation where the saw given to the carpenter to cut a piece of wood has been used to clear the entire forest? In light of the Apex Court's stand that it is high time we have to decide the limits of sedition, this research paper would be a needful inquiry into the same.