The Punjab Legislative Council was the

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

British Punjab The Punjab Province, officially the Province of the Punjab, was a province of British India, with its capital in Lahore and summer capitals in Murree and Simla. At its greatest extent, it stretched from the Khyber Pass to Delhi; and from th ...

, a province of the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. It was established in 1921 by the British authorities under

Government of India Act 1919 The Government of India Act 1919 ( 9 & 10 Geo. 5. c. 101) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was passed to expand participation of Indians in the government of India. The act embodied the reforms recommended in the report ...

, the council had nominal powers and a membership of mainly pro-British politicians and government officials. Voting was largely boycotted until the

Government of India Act 1935 The Government of India Act 1935 (25 & 26 Geo. 5. c. 42) was an Act of Parliament (UK), act passed by the British Parliament that originally received royal assent in August 1935. It was the longest act that the British Parliament ever enact ...

increased representation and the powers of the assembly. It was dissolved in 1936 and was succeeded by Punjab Provincial Assembly. The

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

gave the momentum to the growing demand for self-government in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. Therefore, the new constitutional reforms, under the

Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms The Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms or more concisely the Mont–Ford Reforms, were introduced by the colonial government to introduce self-governing institutions gradually in British India. The reforms take their name from Edwin Montagu, the Sec ...

were introduced by British Government. The scheme was implemented through the

. The first Council was constituted on 8 January 1921 for the first time. The election for first Council was held in December 1920. 71 members were elected and 22 were nominated by

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

and the last election held in 1930 and the council disbanded in 1936The Punjab Parliamentarians 1897-2013, Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, Lahore - Pakistan, 2015

Presidents

Color key for the presidential party * * List of presidents

Deputy President

First Council

Members of First Punjab Legislative Council

The first Punjab Legislative Council was formed in 1921 for a three-year term. The Council had 93 members, seventy per cent of whom were elected and rest nominated. An elected president presided over meetings of the Council. The first Punjab Legislative Council held 98 meetings between 8 January 1921 and 27 October 1923. Notable members included: * Sir Montagu Butler ''(President)'' * Herbert Alexander Casson ''(President)'' * Manohar Lal ''(Lahore — Punjab University)'' * Sir Fazl-i-Husain ''(Elected — Muhammadan Landholders)'' *

Sikandar Hayat Khan (Punjabi politician) ''Khan Bahadur'' Major Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, (5 June 1892 – 26 December 1942), also written Sikandar Hyat-Khan or Sikandar Hyat Khan, was an Indian politician and statesman from the Punjab Province (British India), Punjab who served as t ...

''(Wah, Attock — Muhammadan, Rural)'' *

Sundar Singh Majithia Sardar Bahadur Sir Sundar Singh Majithia (17 February 1872 – 2 April 1941) was a Punjabi landowner and politician. Biography He was born to an aristocratic Sher-Gill Jat Sikh family, the son of Raja Surat Singh of Majitha. He was ed ...

(Ex-officio member, Member Executive Council) *

Feroz Khan Noon Sir Malik Feroz Khan Noon (7 May 18939 December 1970) , best known as Feroze Khan, was a Pakistani politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Pakistan from 16 December 1957, until being removed when the President Iskandar ...

''(Shahpur West — (Muhammadan), Rural)'' *

Chhotu Ram Ram Richpal Ohlyan (born 24 November 1881 – 9 January 1945), better known as Sir Chhotu Ram, was a prominent Indian politician, agrarian reformer, and ideologue in Presidencies and provinces of British India, British India's Punjab Province ( ...

''(South East Rohtak (Non-Muhammadan)'' *

Mian Muhammad Shahnawaz Mian Sir Muhammad Shah Nawaz was a prominent politician of Punjab in the 1920s. He was married to Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz daughter of Mian Muhammad Shafi. The second Legislative Council was constituted on 2 January 1924 and held 102 meetings until it was dissolved on 27 October 1926. Sir Sheikh Abdul Qadir was the first elected and the first Muslim President of this Council. He resigned in September 1925 when he was appointed Minister for Education, and was succeeded by Sir Shahab-ud-Din Virk. Notable members included: * Sir George Anderson ''(Director of Public Instruction, Punjab)'' *Herbert Alexander Casson ''(President)'' *Sir Shahab-ud-Din Virk ''(President)'' *Sir Sheikh Abdul Qadir ''(President)'' *Manohar Lal ''(Lahore — Punjab University)'' *Sir Fazl-i-Husain ''(Minister for Education, Revenue Member — Muhammadan Landholders)'' *Sikandar Hayat Khan ''(Attock — Muhammadan, Rural)'' *Sundar Singh Majithia ''(Revenue Member)'' * John Maynard ''(Leader of the House, Finance Member)'' *

Jogendra Singh Sardar Sir Jogendra Singh KCSI (25 May 1877 – 3 December 1946) was a member of the Viceroy's Executive Council in India. He served as Chairman of the Department of Health, Education and Lands. He was a figure in the Sikh community and one of ...

''(Sikh Landholders, Minister for Agriculture)'' *Chhotu Ram ''(South East Rohtak — Non-Muhammadan, Rural, Minister for Agriculture, Education)''

Third Council

The third Legislative Council sat between 3 January 1927 and 26 July 1930, during which is held 111 meetings. Sir Shahab-ud-Din Virk was re-elected President on 4 January 1927. Notable members included: *Sir George Anderson ''(Director of Public Instruction, Punjab)'' *Sir Sheikh Abdul Qadir ''(Representative, General Interests)'' *

Sir Henry Craik Henry Craik may refer to: *Sir Henry Craik, 1st Baronet (1846–1927), Scottish Unionist Member of Parliament 1906–1927 *Sir Henry Duffield Craik (1876–1955), member of the Indian Civil Service during the British Raj *Henry Craik (evang ...

''(Finance Member Government of Punjab)'' *

Sir Geoffrey Fitzhervey de Montmorency Sir Geoffrey Fitzhervey de Montmorency, (23 August 1876 – 25 February 1955) was an Anglo-Irish colonial administrator. He was Governor of the Punjab. Work He was born in the townland of Castlemorris, near Knocktopher, in County Kilkenny, t ...

''(Finance Member to Government, Punjab)'' * Herbert Emerson ''(Secretary to Government Punjab, Finance Department)'' *Sir Fazl-i-Husain ''Revenue Member to Government Punjab'' *

Sir Muhammad Iqbal Muhammad Iqbal (9 November 187721 April 1938) was a South Asian Islamic philosopher, poet and politician. Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...

''(Lahore City — Muhammadan, Urban)'' *Sikandar Hayat Khan ''(Muhammadan — Landholders)'' *Manohar Lal ''(Punjab University) — Minister for Education'' *Feroz Khan Noon ''(Shahpur East — Muhammadan, Rural) — Minister for Local Self-Government'' *Chhotu Ram ''(Hissar — Non-Muhammadan, Rural)'' *Sir Jogendra Singh ''(Sikh Landholders) — Minister for Agriculture'' *Sir Shahab-ud-Din Virk ''(President)''

Fourth Council

Members of Fourth Punjab Legislative Council

The fourth and the last Legislative Council was constituted on 25 October 1930 and held 197 meetings until it was dissolved on 17 November 1935. Sir Shahab-ud-Din Virk was reelected unopposed as President for a third term. He resigned when he was appointmed Minister for Education and was succeeded by

Sir Chhotu Ram Ram Richpal Ohlyan (born 24 November 1881 – 9 January 1945), better known as Sir Chhotu Ram, was a prominent Indian politician, agrarian reformer, and ideologue in British India's Punjab Province. He was known for his advocacy for the right ...

. Notable members included: *Sir George Anderson ''(Director of Public Instruction, Punjab)'' *

Mazhar Ali Azhar Mazhar Ali Azhar (13 March 1895 – 4 November 1974) was a politician in British Raj, British India and later Pakistan, and one of the founders of Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam. He was elected three times to the Punjab Legislative Assembly (British I ...

''(East and West Central Towns — Muhammadan, Urban)'' *Sir Henry Craik ''(Finance Member to Government, Punjab)'' *

Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani Nawab Mian Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani (; (1905 – 1981) was a Pakistani politician who served as the Diwan of the Bahawalpur State. He was from Thatta Gurmani a small town 4 km from near Sinawan. After the partition of India and the access ...

''(Representative of General Interest)'' *Nazir Husain Ranjha (Gujrat West — Muhammadan, Rural) *Sir Fazl-i-Husain ''Minister for Education'' *

Miles Irving Sir Miles Irving CIE, OBE (1 August 1876 - 24 June 1962) was an English Indian Civil Service officer. As Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar, the senior government official in charge, he transferred the city's administration to Colonel (temp. Brig ...

''(Finance Member, Minister Revenue previously worked as Financial Commissioner)'' *Sikandar Hayat Khan ''(Revenue Member to Government, Punjab)'' *Manohar Lal ''(Punjab University)'' *

Shahnawaz Khan Mamdot Nawab Sir Shahnawaz Khan Mamdot (17 December 1883 – 28 March 1942) was a Punjabi landowner and politician of British India. He was a key supporter of the Pakistan movement and for some time, the largest landowner in undivided Punjab. Earl ...

(Representative of General Interest) *Feroz Khan Noon ''(Shahpur East — Muhammadan, Rural) — Minister for Education'' *Chhotu Ram ''(President)'' *Sir Jogendra Singh ''(Sikh, Landholders — Minister for Agriculture)'' *Arjan Singh''(Sikh, MLC Hoshiarpur and Kangra 1936)'' *Sir Shahab-ud-Din Virk ''(President)''

References