Revolutionary Terrorism — Key Changes

Entry	Year	Description	Impact
N/A (Colonial Act)	1908	The Explosive Substances Act, 1908, was enacted to criminalise the possession, manufacture, and use of explosives with intent to endanger life or property. It prescribed severe penalties, including transportation for life, for such offenses.	Directly targeted the bomb-making activities of revolutionary groups, making it harder for them to acquire and use explosives, and providing a legal basis for swift prosecution.
N/A (Colonial Act)	1908	The Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1908, empowered the government to declare any association 'unlawful' if it promoted violence or intimidation, or if its members habitually committed such acts. It also allowed for summary trials.	Provided the British with a powerful legal tool to outlaw revolutionary organisations, seize their assets, and quickly prosecute members, severely crippling their organisational structure and operations.
N/A (Colonial Act)	1915	The Defence of India Act, 1915, was a wartime measure granting the government extraordinary powers to suppress dissent. It allowed for detention without trial, summary trials, and restrictions on movement and speech.	Used extensively to crush the Ghadar movement and other revolutionary activities during World War I, leading to mass arrests, internment, and executions, effectively neutralising many revolutionary cells.