Question 32 from UPSC CSE 2025 - Modern History

Question

Who provided legal defence to the people arrested in the aftermath of Chauri Chaura incident?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. Madan Mohan Malaviya and Krishna Kant

Strategy: Focus on significant legal personalities involved in landmark nationalist trials. Madan Mohan Malaviya resuming his law practice for Chauri Chaura is historically documented, with Krishna Kant assisting. None of the other options are associated with the Chauri Chaura defence. Eliminate names more connected to other movements or geographic contexts.

Key Info: The Chauri Chaura incident occurred on 4 February 1922 in Gorakhpur district, United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh), when a violent clash led protesters to set a police station on fire, resulting in the death of 22 policemen. In the aftermath, mass arrests were made and a large number of accused were put on trial. Madan Mohan Malaviya, eminent educationist, politician, and lawyer, emerged from retirement to provide legal defence, along with lawyer Krishna Kant, for the accused. These efforts resulted in the acquittal of 153 out of 225 accused, and a significant reduction in death sentences. C. R. Das, though a prominent lawyer, was not associated with this case; M. A. Jinnah and Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew are similarly unrelated to the legal defence at Chauri Chaura. The trials from the Chauri Chaura incident came to symbolize both the extremes of colonial judicial responses to nationalist activism and the proactive role of Indian leaders in defending mass movements in courts.

Answer

Option A: C. R. Das

Answer

Option C: Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Khwaja Hasan Nizami

Answer

Option D: M. A. Jinnah