The Deccan Agriculturalists' Relief Act of 1879 was enacted with which one of the following objectives?
- ARestore lands to the dispossessed peasants
- BEnsure financial assistance to peasants during social and religious occasions
- CRestrict the sale of land for indebtedness to outsiders
- DGive legal aid to insolvent peasants
Explanation
The Deccan Agriculturists' Relief Act was passed in 1879 in the aftermath of the Deccan Riots of 1875 and the Deccan Riots Commission's 1878 report. It empowered courts to go behind loan bonds to determine the amount actually due, moderate excessive rates of interest, and protect peasants from moneylenders. Crucially, it restricted the sale of an agriculturist's land for indebtedness unless the land had been specifically pledged or mortgaged, and provided for the restoration of lands already sold. The Act created no scheme of legal aid or financial assistance for social occasions; its relief lay in special judicial procedures protecting the peasant's land. Hence option C is correct.