Famous Conspiracy Cases During British Rule in India with Previous Year Questions

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Q: What were the famous conspiracy cases during British rule in India?
A: The major conspiracy cases during British rule were:

  1. Alipore Bomb Case (1908) – Involving Aurobindo Ghosh and revolutionaries.
  2. Lahore Conspiracy Case (1915) – Linked to the Ghadar Party.
  3. Kakori Conspiracy Case (1925) – Hindustan Republican Association train robbery.
  4. Meerut Conspiracy Case (1929) – Communist leaders accused of plotting against the British.
  5. Chittagong Armoury Raid Case (1930) – Led by Surya Sen against British armouries.

Let’s discussed it in details

Introduction

During British rule in India, many freedom fighters used secret plans to fight against colonial power. These were called conspiracy cases because the British accused the revolutionaries of plotting to overthrow the government.

Why important for exams?

✔️ Knowing dates, leaders, and outcomes is key for scoring in history sections.

✔️ These cases are frequently asked in SSC, RRB NTPC, UPSC, and State PSC exams.

✔️ They help understand the revolutionary phase of the freedom struggle.

What is a Conspiracy Case?

A conspiracy case is when a group secretly plans to do something illegal against the government. During British rule, such cases were often linked to freedom movements.

Which Were the Famous Conspiracy Cases?

YearCase NameMain LeadersKey EventOutcome
1908Alipore Bomb CaseAurobindo Ghosh, Khudiram BoseAttempt to kill British judge KingsfordDeath sentence for Khudiram Bose
1915Lahore Conspiracy CaseGhadar Party leadersPlan to start armed revolt during WWIMany leaders executed
1925Kakori Conspiracy CaseRam Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla KhanTrain robbery to fund revolutionDeath sentence for 4 leaders
1929Meerut Conspiracy CaseS.A. Dange, Muzaffar AhmedCommunist leaders accused of plotting strikesLong prison terms
1930Chittagong Armoury RaidSurya SenAttack on British armouries in ChittagongLeaders captured and executed

Case Studies in Detail

🟢 Muzaffarpur Conspiracy Case (1908)

Person(s) Associated

  • Khudiram Bose
  • Prafulla Chaki

Objectives

  • To assassinate D.H. Kingsford, Chief Presidency Magistrate of Muzaffarpur, known for his harsh judgments against nationalists.

The Incident (Bomb Attack)

  • Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki threw bombs on a carriage believed to be carrying Kingsford.
  • Kingsford escaped, but unfortunately, two British women were killed instead.

Aftermath

  • Khudiram Bose was arrested by Indian police officer Nandalal Banerjee.
  • Prafulla Chaki committed suicide to avoid arrest.
  • Later, Nandalal Banerjee was shot dead by Narendranath Banerjee in retaliation.
  • Khudiram Bose was tried and sentenced to death.

Significance

  • Khudiram Bose became the youngest martyr of India’s freedom struggle, executed on 11 August 1908 at the age of just 18 years.
  • His sacrifice inspired countless young revolutionaries in the Indian independence movement.

Key Fact for Exams: Muzaffarpur Conspiracy Case highlighted the rise of revolutionary nationalism in Bengal after the Partition of Bengal (1905).

Did You Know? 
🧐 Khudiram Bose became one of the youngest martyrs in India’s freedom struggle.

🟢 Alipore Conspiracy Case (1908)

Other Names

  • Alipore Bomb Conspiracy Case
  • Maniktala Bomb Conspiracy Case
  • Murarupukur Conspiracy Case

Background

  • The case was a follow-up to the Muzaffarpur bombing (May 1, 1908) by Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki.
  • British authorities launched a crackdown on the Maniktala Secret Society of the Anushilan Samiti in Calcutta.

Events

  • May 2, 1908 → Early morning police raids in Calcutta; about 20 revolutionaries arrested.
  • Among them was Sri Aurobindo, believed to be the leader.
  • Raids continued throughout May, leading to around 40 total arrests.

Trial

  • The trial began in May 1908 and lasted till May 1909 at the Alipore Sessions Court, Calcutta.
  • Revolutionaries were charged with “waging war against the Government” of the British Raj.

Significance

  • One of the biggest trials in India’s early freedom struggle.
  • Brought the activities of Anushilan Samiti into national attention.
  • Although many were acquitted, the case exposed the scale of revolutionary networks in Bengal.
  • Strengthened the revolutionary nationalist movement after the Partition of Bengal (1905).

Key Fact for Exams: The Alipore Bomb Case (1908–09) became a landmark trial, with Sri Aurobindo later acquitted but many others convicted, showing the growing assertiveness of Indian revolutionaries.

🟢 Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy Case (1912)

(Also known as the Delhi Conspiracy Case or Hardinge Bomb Case)

Leadership

  • Headed by: Rash Behari Bose

Key Revolutionaries Involved

  • Basant Kumar Biswas
  • Amir Chand
  • Avadh Behari
  • Bhai Balmukund
  • Lala Hanumant Sahai

Objective

  • To assassinate Lord Hardinge, the Viceroy of India.

The Incident (Bomb Attack)

  • Date: 23 December 1912
  • Place: Chandni Chowk, Delhi
  • Occasion: Transfer of the capital of British India from Calcutta to New Delhi.
  • A bomb was thrown at Lord Hardinge’s howdah (elephant seat) during a ceremonial procession.
  • Result:
    • Lord Hardinge was injured.
    • His servant (holding the parasol) was killed.

Aftermath

  • Lala Hanumant Sahai → sentenced to life imprisonment in the Andaman Islands (5 Oct 1914).
  • Basant Kumar Biswas → hanged on 11 May 1915 at Ambala Central Jail.
  • Amir Chand, Bhai Balmukund, and Avadh Behari → sentenced to death.
  • Rash Behari Bose → identified as the main planner and bomb thrower, but escaped arrest and later became a prominent leader in the freedom struggle abroad.

Significance

  • Marked one of the most daring assassination attempts on a British Viceroy.
  • Showed the growing role of revolutionary nationalism in North India.
  • Rash Behari Bose later became a key figure in organizing revolutionary activities and laying the foundation of the Indian National Army (INA).

Key Fact for Exams: The Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy Case (1912) highlighted the Pan-Indian nature of revolutionary activities, spreading beyond Bengal into Punjab and Delhi.

🟢 Peshawar Conspiracy Case (1922–1927)

Background

  • A series of five legal cases held between 1922 and 1927 in British India.
  • Targeted the Mujahirs, a group of Indian Muslims inspired by the Communist Revolution in Russia (1917).
  • These revolutionaries had gone to the USSR in 1920 for communist training.

The Incident

  • In 1921, some Mujahirs returned to India from Tashkent, aiming to incite revolution against British rule.
  • The British intelligence, through its Foreign Office, discovered their activities.
  • The revolutionaries were arrested in Peshawar and subjected to trials (1922–1927), widely considered sham trials.

Outcome

  • Several revolutionaries were convicted and punished with imprisonment.
  • The cases were an attempt by the British to crush communist and revolutionary ideas entering India.

Significance

  • Marked one of the earliest state crackdowns on communist influence in India.
  • Reflected British fears of the spread of Bolshevik ideology after the Russian Revolution.
  • Laid the foundation for later conspiracy cases like the Kanpur Bolshevik Conspiracy Case (1924) and the Meerut Conspiracy Case (1929).

Key Fact for Exams: The Peshawar Conspiracy Case showed the first attempts by Indians to link their struggle with international communist movements, alarming the British Raj.

🟢 Kanpur Bolshevik Conspiracy Case (1924)

Background

  • The British Government feared the spread of communist ideology in India after the Russian Revolution (1917).
  • To suppress rising communist leaders, they launched a crackdown through this case.

Key Persons Involved

  • M.N. Roy
  • Muzaffar Ahmed
  • S.A. Dange
  • Shaukat Usmani
  • Nalini Gupta
  • Singaravelu Chettiar
  • Ghulam Hussain

Charges

  • Accused of conspiring “to deprive the King Emperor of his sovereignty of British India by complete separation from imperialistic Britain through a violent revolution.”
  • The trial targeted communist leaders rather than being based on an actual mass uprising.

Outcome

  • Several leaders were arrested and imprisoned.
  • This case became a tool for the British to suppress emerging communists in India.

Significance

  • Exposed the growing influence of communist and socialist thought in the Indian freedom struggle.
  • Marked one of the earliest major trials against communists in India.
  • Laid the groundwork for later cases such as the Meerut Conspiracy Case (1929).

Key Fact for Exams: The Kanpur Bolshevik Conspiracy Case (1924) was not a mass movement, but a colonial attempt to crush communism in India by targeting its leaders.

🟢 Kakori Conspiracy Case (1925)

(Also known as the Kakori Train Robbery or Kakori Case)

Date & Place

  • 9 August 1925
  • Near Kakori village, Lucknow (U.P.)

Organizers

  • Planned by the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA)
  • Leader: Ram Prasad Bismil

Key Revolutionaries Involved

  • Ashfaqulla Khan
  • Rajendra Lahiri
  • Chandrashekhar Azad
  • Sachindra Bakshi
  • Keshab Chakravarty
  • Manmathnath Gupta
  • Murari Lal Gupta (Murari Lal Khanna)
  • Mukundi Lal (Mukundi Lal Gupta)
  • Banwari Lal

Objectives

  • To loot government treasury carried in the train to fund the activities of HRA.
  • To demonstrate revolutionary courage and create a positive image of HRA among Indians.

Significance

  • One of the most daring revolutionary acts against the British Raj.
  • Brought the HRA revolutionaries into the national spotlight.
  • Later trials and punishments (death sentences & long imprisonments) made Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, and Rajendra Lahiri martyrs of the freedom struggle.

Key Fact for Exams: The Kakori Conspiracy Case showed how Indian revolutionaries combined direct action with symbolic resistance, inspiring a new wave of youth into the freedom struggle.

🟢 Meerut Conspiracy Case (1929–1933)

Background & Context

  • The Communist Party of India (CPI) was formally launched at the All India Conference of Communists in Kanpur (1925).
  • Aim: To build socialism in India and organize the working class.
  • The British Government feared that communists wanted to:
    • Spread socialist ideas among workers.
    • Launch general strikes and armed uprisings.
    • Ultimately overthrow the British Raj.

Government Response

  • To curb communist influence, the Meerut Conspiracy Case was launched.
  • 31 trade union and communist leaders (including 3 Englishmen) were arrested and tried under Section 121A IPC (conspiracy to wage war against the King).
  • The trial lasted from 1929 to 1933.

Major Accused

  • Indian Leaders:
    • S.A. Dange
    • Muzaffar Ahmed
    • S.V. Ghate
    • Dr. G. Adhikari
    • P.C. Joshi
    • S.S. Mirajkar
    • Shaukat Usmani
  • Foreign Leaders:
    • Lester Hutchinson
    • Philip Spratt
    • Benjamin Francis Bradley

Outcome

  • All accused were convicted for spreading communist propaganda and conspiring against the British Government.
  • Heavy imprisonments were given, but the trial attracted worldwide criticism of British repression.

Significance

  • Highlighted the rising role of communism and trade unionism in India’s freedom struggle.
  • Gave prominence to leaders like S.A. Dange, P.C. Joshi, and Muzaffar Ahmed who later shaped leftist politics in India.
  • Showed the global dimension of the Indian freedom struggle, as even foreign communists were involved.

Key Fact for Exams: The Meerut Conspiracy Case (1929–33) was the longest trial in colonial India, aimed at crushing the communist movement and intimidating the growing labor movement.

Exam-Oriented Key Points Table

CaseYearLeaderKey Fact
Alipore Bomb1908Aurobindo GhoshFirst major conspiracy trial
Lahore1915Rash Behari BoseLinked to Ghadar Party
Kakori1925Ram Prasad BismilTrain robbery
Meerut1929S.A. DangeCommunist leaders trial
Chittagong1930Surya SenArmoury raid

Sample MCQs for Practice

Q1: Which was the first major conspiracy case in India?
a) Kakori
b) Alipore Bomb
c) Lahore
d) Meerut

Answer: b) Alipore Bomb

Q2: Who led the Chittagong Armoury Raid?
a) Khudiram Bose
b) Surya Sen
c) Rash Behari Bose
d) Ram Prasad Bismil

Answer: b) Surya Sen

Q3: Kakori Conspiracy Case took place in which year?
a) 1925
b) 1915
c) 1930
d) 1908

Answer: a) 1925

Q4: Meerut Conspiracy Case was related to which movement?
a) Ghadar Movement
b) Communist Movement
c) Quit India Movement
d) Swadeshi Movement

Answer: b) Communist Movement

Q5: Who was hanged in the Lahore Conspiracy Case?
a) Kartar Singh Sarabha
b) Bhagat Singh
c) Surya Sen
d) Ashfaqulla Khan

Answer: a) Kartar Singh Sarabha

FAQs

Q1. Which revolutionary group was involved in the Kakori Conspiracy Case?
A: Hindustan Republican Association (HRA)

Q2. Who were hanged for the Kakori Conspiracy Case?
A: Ram Prasad Bismil, Thakur Roshan Singh, Rajendra Nath Lahiri, and Ashfaqulla Khan

Q3. When did the Kakori Conspiracy Case take place?
A: 9 August 1925

Q4. Who defended Aurobindo Ghosh in the Alipore Conspiracy Case?
A: Chittaranjan Das

Q5. Who were arrested in the Kanpur Conspiracy Case (1924)?
A: Muzaffar Ahmad, S.A. Dange, Shaukat Usmani, and Nalini Gupta

Q6. The Kakori Conspiracy Case occurred during the tenure of which Viceroy of India?
A: Lord Reading

Q7. Who was the main accused in the Kakori Conspiracy Case?
A: Ram Prasad Bismil

Q8. Why were conspiracy cases important in India’s freedom struggle?
A: They showed the revolutionary spirit and inspired mass movements.

Q9. Which was the first major conspiracy case in India?
A: Alipore Bomb Case (1908)

Q10. Who led the Kakori Conspiracy?
A: Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan

Q11. Which conspiracy case was linked to the Ghadar Party?
A: Lahore Conspiracy Case (1915)

Q12. Who was the leader of the Chittagong Armoury Raid (1930)?
A: Surya Sen

Q13. What was the main aim of the Meerut Conspiracy Case leaders (1929)?
A: To spread communist ideology and organize workers.

Q14. Which conspiracy case involved women revolutionaries?
A: Chittagong Armoury Raid (1930)

More Notes on Indian History

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