Which of the following statements about the Ilbert Bill (1883) is/are correct? 1. It proposed to grant limited criminal jurisdiction to native officials. 2. It proposed to grant complete civil and criminal jurisdiction to native officials. 3. The proposed Bill generated opposition from England's European subjects in India. 4. In spite of opposition to the Bill, it was passed without any modifications. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

The correct answer is C, 1 and 3. The Bill proposed only a limited criminal jurisdiction for Indian officials over Europeans, and it met fierce European opposition that forced a diluted version.

Introduced in 1883 during Lord Ripon's viceroyalty and named after the Law Member Courtenay Ilbert, the Bill sought to let senior Indian district magistrates and sessions judges try European British subjects in criminal cases, which until then only European judges could do. So statement 1 is right. The European community in India launched an angry agitation, often called the White Mutiny, so statement 3 is right too. The government gave way, and the amended Act of 1884 said a European accused could demand a jury of which at least half were Europeans, so statement 4 is wrong. The episode showed Indians how racial privilege worked and helped prepare the ground for the Indian National Congress in 1885.

Option A is wrong because statement 2 overstates the proposal; it did not grant complete civil and criminal jurisdiction. Option B is wrong because statement 2 is incorrect. Option D is wrong because the Bill was not passed unchanged.

Exam tip: Ilbert Bill = 1883, Lord Ripon, Indian judges trying Europeans; passed diluted in 1884.