Correct Option
The Indian Parliamentary Committee was established in 1893 by Sir William Wedderburn and W.S. Caine. Its primary objective was to agitate for Indian political reforms within the House of Commons, the lower house of the British Parliament. The committee aimed to raise awareness about Indian grievances and advocate for administrative and constitutional changes in British India. Sir William Wedderburn, a Liberal Member of Parliament, was a known sympathizer of the Indian National Congress and supported the cause of Indian self-governance. This initiative represented an early organized effort to present Indian concerns directly to the British legislative body.
Incorrect Options
Option 2 is incorrect. While judicial reforms might have been part of broader political reforms, the committee's mandate was not exclusively or primarily focused on campaigning for the entry of Indians into the Imperial Judiciary. Its scope encompassed wider political and administrative changes.
Option 3 is incorrect. The Indian Parliamentary Committee was formed to advocate for reforms within the existing British administrative and constitutional framework, not to facilitate discussions on India's immediate independence. The demand for complete independence emerged much later in the Indian nationalist movement.
Option 4 is incorrect. The committee did not agitate for the entry of eminent Indians into the British Parliament itself. Instead, it sought to influence British Members of Parliament to support reforms concerning India, thereby addressing Indian grievances and promoting self-governance within India.