Q. The object of the Butler Committee of 1927 was to (UPSC Prelims 2017)
Answer: Improve the relationship between the Government of India and the Indian States.
Notes: The correct answer is [D] Improve the relationship between the Government of India and the Indian States. The Harcourt Butler Committee (Indian States Committee) was appointed in 1927 to investigate the relationship between the British Paramount Power and the Princely States.

• Relationship with Princely States (Statement D – Correct): The committee was tasked with examining the relationship between the Paramount Power (the British Crown) and the Indian States. It recommended that the relationship of the Princely States should be with the British Crown rather than the Government of India (the Governor-General in Council). This was a strategy to prevent the States from being brought under the control of a future Indian legislature dominated by nationalists.
• Doctrine of Paramountcy: The committee famously stated that "Paramountcy must remain paramount," meaning it must adapt to changing circumstances. It argued that the Crown's duty to protect the States meant it also had the right to intervene in their internal affairs.
• Jurisdiction (Statement A – Incorrect): Defining jurisdictions between Central and Provincial governments was the focus of the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919) and later the Government of India Act (1935), which introduced provincial autonomy.
• Secretary of State (Statement B – Incorrect): While the Secretary of State was a key figure in British administration, the Butler Committee specifically focused on the "States" (Princely India) rather than the internal power structure of the British cabinet.
• Press Censorship (Statement C – Incorrect): Censorship was handled through various "Gagging Acts" and the Vernacular Press Act (1878) or the Indian Press Act (1910), not the Butler Committee.

Key Outcome: The committee's findings were presented in 1929. It suggested that the British Crown should continue to provide protection to the Princes against any pressure from the rising nationalist movement in British India, effectively trying to create a "breakwater" against the tide of Indian independence.