Sir John Simon (1873-1954):was a British a British Politician, educated at Fettes College in Edinburg and Wadham College, Oxford, where he was a near-contemporary of F.E.Smith and of the athlete C.b.Fry, he became a fellow of All Souls in 1897 and was called to the bar at the inner temple in 1899.
in the early 1920s he practiced successfully at the bar, before winning Spen Valley at the General election in 1922, and in 1922-24 he was treated almost as deputy leader of the Liberal Party, a role he relinquished when Asquith once again lost his seatin Parliament and Lloyd George, Simon opposed the general strike in 1926. From 1927 to 1931 he chaired the Simon Commission on India's constitution.The non-cooperation movement launched by Congress under the leadership of Gandhi on 4th Sep. 1920, was suspended due to an incident known as Chauri Chaura on Feb 1922 and the Communal riot which spread after Khilafat Movement and Mopla Revolt caused stalemate of the Freedom struggle initiated by the Congress. To stop the turning of the freedom struggle in the line of the armed struggle the British govt.announced a Commission with seven members of the British parliament headed by Sir john Simon to supplement the Indian Act,1919., on Nov. 8, 1927 without a single member from Iindia. This action of the Govt roused a all round protest from the Indian soil. The leadership of this movement was taken by Lala Lajpat Rai who moved a resolution in the Central Legislative Assembly in February, 1928.
"The present constitution of the commission and its term of reference are unworthy of acceptance by this house ; therefore, this house advises the govt that it should have nothing to do with the Commission."
