The Simon Commission, also known as the Indian Statutory Commission, was a group of seven Members of Parliament under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon, appointed by the British Government in 1927 to investigate the need for further constitutional reforms in India. The commission arrived in British India in 1928 to study constitutional reform in Britains largest and most important possession. The aim of the commission was to enquire into the working of the Government of India Act of 1919 and to suggest further reforms in the system of administration. However, the commission was strongly opposed by the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League, among others, because it contained only British members and no Indians. The reasons why it was opposed in India are as follows:

• Indians were outraged at their exclusion from the Commission.
• The Congress Party decided to boycott the Commission at their session at Madras in 1927.
• The Muslim League led by M A Jinnah also boycotted it.
• A certain section of members led by Muhammad Shafi supported the government.
• The Justice Party in the South decided to side with the government on this issue.
• When the Commission landed in February 1928, there were mass protests, hartals, and black flag demonstrations all over the country.
• People were chanting the slogan, ‘Simon Go Back.’
• The police resorted to lathi charges to suppress the movement. Even senior leaders like Pandit Nehru were not spared.
• In Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai, who was leading the demonstration against the Simon Commission, was brutally lathi-charged. He died later that year due to injuries sustained then.

The Simon Commission proposed several reforms, including expanding the responsibilities of ministers and abolishing provincial dyarchy. However, the commissions recommendations were not implemented, and it was widely seen as a failure.