The Deccan Times and Gagging Regulations - 1891
English Newspaper of Secunderabad · Bribe Scandal · Gagging Regulations · 1864–1891
The Deccan Times was a prominent English-language newspaper published in Secunderabad that played a significant role in the journalistic landscape of Hyderabad State from the mid-19th century until its eventual closure under government pressure. Along with the Hyderabad Record, it represented the English-language nationalist press in the region during the latter half of the 19th century.
The paper was established in 1864 and published from 155, James Street, Secunderabad. It was originally a weekly journal that covered politics, society, and sport in the Deccan and the Berar Province. Its circulation extended throughout India and Burma, particularly at places where British troops were stationed.
- Establishment: The paper was started in 1864.
- Location: It was printed and published at 155, James Street, Secunderabad.
- Format: It was originally a weekly journal.
- Founder: It was established by G. P. F. Gallagher.
During the late 1880s and early 1890s, Mr. Gribble served as the Managing Proprietor of the Deccan Times. Under his leadership, the paper was noted for improving in both "matter as well as manner". Its tone was described as "uniformly courteous, and generally impartial and independent", though the sources note this independence did not always directly benefit the local Hyderabadi population.
In March 1891, the paper published a "very sensible leader" defending Barrister A. C. Rudra, whose license had been revoked for making "offensive remarks" about the High Court judges. The paper explicitly criticized the "unheard-of severity" of the government's order, demonstrating its willingness to challenge judicial and administrative authority.
Alleged Corruption: The court found that in June 1888, the Nizam's Government paid Rs. 2,400 to the Deccan Times.
Method of Concealment: The money was paid under the "ostensible reason" of subscriptions for copies of the paper that were never actually supplied.
Judicial Verdict: Judge Bosanquet concluded that this payment was "nothing but a bribe to secure to the Government the support of the outwardly impartial Editor" of the Deccan Times. At that time, Mr. Shapurjee was in charge of the paper.
This scandal exposed the corrupt relationship between the Nizam's government and sections of the press. The government paid the newspaper to ensure favorable coverage while the paper maintained an "outwardly impartial" facade. The payment was disguised as subscriptions for copies that were never delivered, a clear attempt to conceal the bribe.
The Deccan Times faced increasing difficulty operating under the restrictive political environment of Hyderabad.
- Notice of Termination: In July 1891, the paper notified its staff that it would stop publication on the 31st of that month.
- Reasons for Closing: While the government organ termed it an "ostensible reason," the real cause for closure was the "unwillingness or inability of the proprietor to carry on the paper under the new order" of the Government of India, specifically the "Gagging Regulations".
- Public Reaction: Its disappearance was viewed as the removal of a necessary "check on the rashness" of individual officials and cliques within the State.
In 1891, the Home Secretary of the Hyderabad Government, Nawab Mehdi Hassan (Fateh Nawaz Jung), issued a circular that imposed severe restrictions on vernacular and local newspapers.
- The Mandatory Agreement: Editors were required to sign a formal "agreement" or bond with the government. By signing, they bound themselves not to publish any content that might "threaten an injury to a Government servant" or "tend to prejudice the mind of the people against His Highness the Nizam's Government or any of its officers."
- Prohibited Content: The specific clauses of the agreement prohibited:
- Printing words or sketches that incited disloyalty toward the British Government or the Nizam.
- Creating discord among various races, nationalities, or religious communities.
- Intimidating or causing pain to any person or official.
- Publishing anonymous writings.
- Enforcement and Suppression: The circular was enforced through the City Kotwal (Police Commissioner). The Urdu paper Shaukat-ul-Islam was suppressed for refusing to sign the agreement and for commenting on the circular in "strong but by no means undeserved terms."
- Justification: The government organ, the Deccan Standard, justified the move by arguing that in the absence of a Press Act, the sovereign authority that grants a license to start a paper has the legal right to revoke it if orders are not obeyed.
Parallel to the Nizam's local circular, the Government of India introduced its own "Gagging Regulations" for territories that were administered by the Governor-General but were not part of British India, such as the Residency Bazar and Secunderabad.
- Powers of Political Agents: These rules invested Political Agents and Residents with the power to withhold or withdraw permission to edit, print, or publish a newspaper at their discretion.
- Expulsion: The regulations gave authorities the power to "expel forcibly" anyone who attempted to publish a newspaper without explicit permission.
- Impact on the Press: These regulations led to the closure of the Deccan Times in July 1891. The official reason given was the "unwillingness or inability of the proprietor to carry on the paper under the new order." The sources note that it was impossible to run an independent journal under such "uncalled-for and arbitrary rules."
Journalists argued that the circular defined the "character of the despotism" guiding the state and that no man with self-respect could subscribe to such a "ridiculous" agreement.
The regulations created an environment where people with grievances had to keep "still tongues in their heads", allowing oppression and injustice to continue without fear of exposure.
While some papers resisted, others, like the Mahboob-ul-kuloof, initially posed as champions of the Gagging Circular, though this paper itself ceased publication within ten months.
The paper appears to have been revived or continued in some form into the 20th century.
- Moderate Stance: By the 1930s, the sources describe the Deccan Times (along with the Hyderabad Bulletin) as a paper that resorted to a "middle course between timidity and aggressiveness."
- Target Audience: It was considered a paper for the "enlightened section of the educated community" and was generally more "uniformly balanced" in its views compared to more radical contemporary journals.
- Circulation: The paper had a circulation throughout India and Burma, particularly at places where British troops were stationed. The Nizam's Dominions, in which the Deccan Times had a complete circulation, had an area larger than France and an admittedly wealthy population, both European and Native.
- Secunderabad Garrison: Secunderabad, the adjoining British Cantonment, contained the largest garrison in India, and here the Deccan Times had a very large circulation. The whole of the Berar Provinces were reached by this journal.
According to contemporary records (The Advertiser's "A B C"), the Deccan Times was described as:
- Published "in the interests of Politics, Society, and Sport in the Deccan (India) and in the extensive and thickly-populated Berar Province."
- Having a circulation throughout India and Burmah, particularly at places where British troops were stationed.
- The Nizam's Dominions, in which the Deccan Times had a complete circulation, had an area larger than France.
- Secunderabad contained the largest garrison in India, where the paper had a very large circulation.
- Head Indian Office was at 36, Oxford Street, Secunderabad (Deccan) with a branch office at 117, Armenian Street, Madras.
- London agents: T. B. Browne, Ltd., 163, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.
The History of Freedom Movement in Karnataka notes that there were, for instance, the English papers, the Deccan Times and the Hyderabad Record, both during the latter half of the 19th century. While the Hyderabad Record was an openly nationalist paper, the Deccan Times maintained a more moderate, courteous, and impartial tone—though this independence was compromised, as revealed by the bribe scandal of 1888.
Unlike the Hyderabad Record, which was suppressed after its publisher Job Solomon's death in 1891, the Deccan Times appears to have survived in some form into the 20th century, adapting to the restrictive environment by adopting a middle course between timidity and aggressiveness.
The legacy of The Deccan Times includes:
- Pioneering English Journalism: One of the earliest English newspapers in the Hyderabad-Secunderabad region, founded in 1864.
- Exposure of Corruption: Ironically, though itself implicated in a bribe scandal, the paper's case revealed the corrupt practices of the Nizam's government in attempting to control the press.
- Defense of Civil Liberties: The paper's 1891 editorial defending Barrister Rudra demonstrated its willingness to challenge judicial authority when it overstepped.
- Victim of Gagging Regulations: The paper's closure in 1891 became a symbol of the oppressive press restrictions imposed by both the Nizam's administration and the British Government of India.
- A "Check on Rashness": Contemporary observers viewed the paper's disappearance as the removal of a necessary check on the arbitrary actions of officials and cliques within the State.
- Longevity: Unlike many contemporary papers, the Deccan Times survived in some form into the 20th century, adapting to the changing political environment.
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