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

(a) C. R. Das

(b) Madan Mohan Malaviya and Krishna Kant

(c) Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Khwaja Hasan Nizami

(d) M. A. Jinnah

Answer: (b) Madan Mohan Malaviya and Krishna Kant

Explanation:

Madan Mohan Malaviya and Krishna Kant provided the legal defense to those arrested in the aftermath of the Chauri Chaura incident (1922). Their intervention played a crucial role in ensuring justice and preventing large-scale executions.

Background:
The Chauri Chaura incident occurred in February 1922, when a violent clash between protestors and the police led to the death of 22 policemen after a police station was set on fire. In response, the British colonial administration adopted an extremely harsh approach.

Judicial Proceedings:
A sessions court delivered an unprecedented judgment, sentencing 172 accused to death, reflecting the colonial state’s intent to suppress the nationalist movement through exemplary punishment.

Legal Defense:
Deeply disturbed by the severity of the verdict, Madan Mohan Malaviya, a senior nationalist leader and respected jurist, along with Krishna Kant, took up the case in the Allahabad High Court. They argued that the mass death sentences were legally unsustainable and violated principles of natural justice.

Outcome:
As a result of their legal efforts, the High Court commuted the death sentences of 19 individuals, while the sentences of many others were either reduced to life imprisonment or lesser punishments. Their intervention significantly limited the scale of executions and exposed the excessive nature of colonial justice.

Answer: (b) Madan Mohan Malaviya and Krishna Kant