Bill to grant India freedom greenlit by House of Lords

Bill proposes transfer of legislative powers to the two new dominions of India Pakistan

- HT Correspondent

The House of Lords has approved the India Independence Bill, which will grant full independence on August 15 to the two new dominions of India and Pakistan. The Bill now only awaits the formal Royal Assent on Friday to become law, in what is expected to be a formality.

The Bill proposes the formation of the two independent dominions, the partition of the Bengal and Punjab provinces between the new nations, the transfer of legislative powers to the respective constituent assemblies of the countries as well as surrender of British control over the princely states. The proposed legislation is a modification of the plan laid down by Lord Mountbatten, the Viceroy of India, in June.

The measure, rushed through all its stages in the Upper House in about five hours, was greeted with the wholehearted approval of Labour and Conservative peers, many of whom had been closely associated with Indian affairs for the past two decades.

Lord Listowel, the last secretary of state for India, was supported in his messages of goodwill to the two dominions by Lord Halifax, a former Viceroy of India, Lord Pethick-Lawrence, his predecessor in the India Office, and Lord Templewood, former secretary of state for India.