Correct Option
Statement 1 is correct. Annie Besant was a prominent figure in the Indian Home Rule Movement. She launched the All India Home Rule League in September 1916, working alongside Bal Gangadhar Tilak's Indian Home Rule League, to advocate for self-government for India within the British Empire.
Statement 3 is correct. Annie Besant was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress at its Calcutta Session in 1917, making her the first woman to hold this position.
Incorrect Options
Statement 2 is incorrect. Annie Besant was not the founder of the Theosophical Society. The Theosophical Society was founded in New York in 1875 by Helena Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott. Annie Besant joined the society in 1889 and later became its second international President in 1907, playing a crucial role in its expansion and influence, particularly in India.
Option (a) is incorrect because statement 3 is also correct.
Option (b) is incorrect because statement 2 is false.
Option (d) is incorrect because statement 2 is false.