Bombay Presidency Association and Political Mobilisation

The Bombay Presidency Association was established in January 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai) to provide a modern, representative political voice for Western India. Prior to its formation, the Bombay Association (founded in 1852 by Jagannath Shankarsheth and Dadabhai Naoroji) served as the primary political body in the region. By the late 1870s, the Bombay Association had become inactive due to internal factionalism and an over-reliance on conservative merchant interests. The immediate push for a new organization came from the reactionary policies of Viceroy Lord Lytton (1876–1880), including the Vernacular Press Act of 1878 and the Arms Act of 1878, alongside the bitter racial Anglo-Indian agitation against the Ilbert Bill in 1883. Educated professionals in Bombay recognized the urgent need for a organized association to mobilize public opinion and advocate for constitutional rights.

The Bombay Triumvirate

The founding of the Bombay Presidency Association was driven by three prominent lawyers and public figures, collectively known as the “Bombay Triumvirate” or “The Three Stars” (Trimurti) of Bombay’s political scene.

Pherozeshah Mehta

Pherozeshah Mehta was a distinguished barrister, municipal leader, and political organizer. He played a central role in framing the Bombay Municipal Corporation Act of 1888, earning the title “Uncrowned King of Bombay.” Mehta advocated moderate, constitutional methods, emphasizing municipal self-governance, legal reform, and structured political agitation.

Kashinath Trimbak Telang

K. T. Telang was a scholar, legal luminary, and later the first Indian judge of the Bombay High Court. He translated the Bhagavad Gita into English for Max Müller’s Sacred Books of the East series. Telang brought intellectual rigor to the Association, drafting detailed legal petitions to the British Parliament regarding judicial and administrative reforms.

Badruddin Tyabji

Badruddin Tyabji was the first Indian barrister to practice at the Bombay High Court and later became its first Indian Chief Justice. He focused on building secular national unity and bringing the Muslim community into mainstream constitutional politics. Tyabji later presided over the Madras session of the Indian National Congress in 1887.

Core Objectives and Political Demands

The Bombay Presidency Association sought to represent the interests of the educated middle class, traders, and the general public across Western India.

• Administrative and Judicial Equality: The Association campaigned for the simultaneous conduct of the Indian Civil Service (ICS) examination in India and England, along with raising the maximum age limit for candidates. It advocated for the separation of executive and judicial functions.
• Legislative Expansion: It petitioned the British Government for the expansion of provincial legislative councils, demanding greater Indian representation through direct elections.
• Economic Relief and Fiscal Reform: The Association protested against heavy military expenditures, land revenue assessments, and imperial tariff policies that disadvantaged Indian trade and local manufacturing.
• Protection of Civil Liberties: It actively opposed press censorship, arbitrary administrative measures, and discriminatory racial legislation introduced by the colonial government.

Organizational Structure and Mass Mobilisation

The Association was formally inaugurated at a public meeting held at the Framji Cowasji Institute in Bombay on January 31, 1885. Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy was chosen as the President, while Pherozeshah Mehta, K. T. Telang, and Badruddin Tyabji served as Secretaries.

Public Meetings and Petitions

Unlike older merchant-led bodies, the Association organized large public rallies to educate citizens on administrative issues. It submitted detailed, evidence-based petitions directly to the Viceroy, the Secretary of State for India, and the British Parliament.

Coordination with Other Provinces

The Bombay Presidency Association established a network with contemporary regional bodies, such as the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha in Pune, the Indian Association in Kolkata, and the Madras Mahajana Sabha in Chennai. In 1885, these organizations jointly sent a delegation of Indian leaders—including N. G. Chandavarkar from Bombay—to England to present Indian political demands to the British electorate during the imperial general elections.

Role in the Formation of the Indian National Congress

The establishment of the Bombay Presidency Association in January 1885 provided the organizational machinery necessary to host the first session of the Indian National Congress (INC) in December 1885. When an outbreak of cholera in Pune forced the venue of the inaugural Congress session to be shifted from Pune to Bombay, the leaders of the Bombay Presidency Association managed the entire arrangement. Dinshaw Wacha and Pherozeshah Mehta organized the logistics at the Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College. Members of the Association formed a major portion of the 72 delegates who attended the historic first session under the presidency of Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee. Following the formation of the Congress, the Bombay Presidency Association functioned as its local municipal and provincial wing in Bombay, directing national campaigns at the regional level.

Key Facts for Revision

The Association played an active role in municipal politics, leading to the passage of the Bombay Municipal Act of 1888, which laid the foundation for modern civic local self-government in Mumbai. Sir Dinshaw Edulji Wacha, a founding member of the Association and an expert in financial matters, served as its Secretary for many years and later became the President of the Indian National Congress in 1901. N. G. Chandavarkar, a prominent leader of the Association, served as the candidate sent to Britain in 1885 to inform English voters about Indian grievances; he later became a judge of the Bombay High Court and President of the INC in 1900. The Association published regular reports and tracks on imperial expenditure, trade tariffs, and salt taxes to build an informed public opinion in Western India. Badruddin Tyabji used the platform of the Association to establish the Anjuman-i-Islam in Bombay in 1874, promoting modern education and social reform among Indian Muslims alongside their participation in national politics.