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Mountbatten Plan and Independence Act ISC Class 12

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HistoryISC Class 12 · Towards Independence and Partition: The Last Phase

Attlee's Declaration, the Mountbatten Plan and the Indian Independence Act, 1947 (ISC Class 12 History)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

On 20 February 1947 Attlee announced that power would be transferred by June 1948 and that Mountbatten would be Viceroy. The Mountbatten Plan of 3 June 1947 divided India into two dominions, with Punjab and Bengal partitioned by their assemblies, and advanced the date to 15 August 1947. The Congress, League and Sikhs accepted it, and the Indian Independence Act gave it legal effect.

Follow the arrows through 1947 and notice that power passed on 15 August, months before Attlee's original June 1948 deadline.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Attlee's Declaration, Mountbatten Plan and Independence Act

What the syllabus asks. "1947: Attlee's Declaration of 20th February 1947; Mountbatten Plan - main features: reasons for acceptance of the Plan by major political parties. Modifications in the Indian Independence Act." Four parts; learn each as a short numbered list.

1. Attlee's Declaration (20 February 1947).

  • Britain would transfer power into Indian hands by a date not later than June 1948.
  • If no fully representative constitution was ready by then, power would be handed either to a central government or, in some areas, to existing provincial governments, or in any other reasonable way.
  • Lord Mountbatten would replace Lord Wavell as Viceroy.
  • The deadline forced the parties to decide. The clause on handing power to provinces hinted that partition was possible.

2. The Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947): main features.
1. India would be divided into two dominions, India and Pakistan.
2. The legislative assemblies of Punjab and Bengal would meet in two parts (Muslim-majority districts and the others); if either part voted for partition, the province would be divided.
3. Sind's assembly would decide which Constituent Assembly to join; a referendum would be held in the North-West Frontier Province and in the Sylhet district of Assam.
4. A Boundary Commission, chaired by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, would mark the boundaries in Punjab and Bengal.
5. Paramountcy would lapse; princely states could join either dominion (or, in theory, stay independent).
6. Power would be transferred on 15 August 1947, well before the June 1948 deadline.

3. Why the major parties accepted the Plan.

  • *Congress.* The communal riots after Direct Action Day showed that a united India could be held together only by force; the League's obstruction in the Interim Government made joint rule impossible; a smaller India with a strong Centre was better than a weak federation; partition ended separate electorates and the League's veto; delay risked civil war and the break-up of the country by the princes.
  • *Muslim League.* The Plan conceded Pakistan, even though a smaller one, which the League called "truncated".
  • *Sikhs.* They accepted the division of Punjab, which kept East Punjab in India.

4. The Indian Independence Act (passed by the British Parliament in July 1947; in force on 15 August 1947).
1. Two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, from 15 August 1947.
2. Each dominion had a Governor-General appointed by the Crown on the advice of its own government.
3. The Constituent Assembly of each dominion became sovereign and acted as its legislature until a new constitution was made; the British Parliament lost all authority over them.
4. The office of Secretary of State for India was abolished.
5. British paramountcy over the princely states lapsed and treaties with them ended.
6. Until new constitutions were made, each dominion was governed under the Government of India Act, 1935, modified as needed; the Governor-General could no longer veto bills or act on his own discretion.
7. The British monarch dropped the title "Emperor of India".

Neutral note. Partition caused great suffering and historians debate how far it could have been avoided; write what the parties agreed and why, and attribute explanations to each side.

Attlee's Declaration, Mountbatten Plan and Independence Act: key facts

Attlee's Declaration, 20 February 1947
  • Power transferred by June 1948
  • Alternatives if no constitution
  • Mountbatten replaces Wavell
Three points.
Mountbatten Plan, 3 June 1947
  • Two dominions
  • Punjab and Bengal assemblies vote on partition
  • Sind decides, NWFP and Sylhet referendum
  • Radcliffe Boundary Commission
  • Paramountcy lapses
  • Power on 15 August 1947
Six features.
Independence Act in short
  • Two dominions from 15 Aug 1947
  • Governor-General for each
  • Sovereign Constituent Assemblies
  • Secretary of State abolished
  • Paramountcy lapses
  • 1935 Act continues
  • No title Emperor of India
Seven provisions.

How to answer Attlee's Declaration, Mountbatten Plan and Independence Act questions

Four possible questions: Attlee's Declaration, features of the Plan, reasons for acceptance, provisions of the Act. For the reasons, treat each party separately.

  1. 1Give the date next to each document.
  2. 2Number the features of the Plan; name the Boundary Commission and its chair.
  3. 3For acceptance, write one paragraph for each party.
  4. 4For the Act, stress that it ended British authority and paramountcy and that the 1935 Act continued as an interim constitution.

Attlee's Declaration, Mountbatten Plan and Independence Act in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

A deadline forces a decision

Suppose a school principal tells two feuding groups planning the annual day that if they cannot agree by the end of the month, the school will hold two separate events.

How does the deadline change their behaviour?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Delay no longer costs nothing.
  2. The alternative becomes a real possibility.
  3. Each group must decide what it will accept.

Answer: A deadline with a stated alternative pushes parties to decide; Attlee's deadline of June 1948 had a similar effect.

Memory hook: Deadline plus fallback forces choice.

Weighing a smaller prize against a long conflict

Imagine two partners in a shop who quarrel daily and agree to split the shop in two halves rather than wait for a court case.

Why might both accept a smaller share?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Continuing to share costs time and trust.
  2. A clean division ends the daily conflict.
  3. Neither can be sure of winning more through delay.

Answer: Parties may accept less when the cost of continuing is high; the Congress and the League reasoned in similar ways in June 1947.

Memory hook: Smaller prize, shorter fight.

Tricks to remember Attlee's Declaration, Mountbatten Plan and Independence Act

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • Mountbatten Plan: T-P-S-B-P-A

    Two dominions, Punjab-Bengal votes, Sind-NWFP-Sylhet, Boundary Commission, Paramountcy lapses, August 15.

    Use it when: Six features in order.

  • Dates 20-3-15

    20 February (Attlee), 3 June (Plan), 15 August (transfer).

    Use it when: The three key dates of 1947.

Attlee's Declaration, Mountbatten Plan and Independence Act: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Attlee's Declaration · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

State the main points of Attlee's Declaration of 20 February 1947. [3]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Transfer by June 1948 (1 mark).
  2. Alternatives if no constitution was ready (1 mark).
  3. Mountbatten to replace Wavell (1 mark).

Answer: Attlee announced that Britain would transfer power to Indian hands by a date not later than June 1948. If a fully representative constitution was not ready by then, power would go to a central government, to provincial governments in some areas or in some other reasonable way. Lord Mountbatten would replace Lord Wavell as Viceroy.

Example 2: Radcliffe and the boundary · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

Who headed the Boundary Commission for Punjab and Bengal under the Mountbatten Plan? Where was a referendum to be held? [2]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Sir Cyril Radcliffe (1 mark).
  2. Referendum in the NWFP and Sylhet (1 mark).

Answer: Sir Cyril Radcliffe chaired it. A referendum was to be held in the North-West Frontier Province and in the Sylhet district of Assam.

Example 3: Features of the Plan · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Describe the main features of the Mountbatten Plan of 3 June 1947. [6]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Two dominions (1 mark).
  2. Punjab and Bengal procedure and Boundary Commission (2 marks).
  3. Sind, NWFP, Sylhet (1 mark).
  4. Paramountcy and the states (1 mark).
  5. Date of 15 August 1947 (1 mark).

Answer: The Plan divided India into two dominions, India and Pakistan. The legislative assemblies of Punjab and Bengal were to meet in two parts, Muslim-majority districts and the rest, and if either part voted for it, the province would be partitioned, with a Boundary Commission under Radcliffe fixing the lines. Sind's assembly would decide which Constituent Assembly to join, and a referendum was to be held in the North-West Frontier Province and in Sylhet. Paramountcy would lapse and the princely states could join either dominion. Power would be transferred on 15 August 1947, ahead of the earlier June 1948 deadline.

Example 4: Why the parties accepted · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Explain why the Congress and the Muslim League accepted the Mountbatten Plan of 3 June 1947. [6] (Analysis)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Congress reasons: riots, League obstruction, strong Centre, risk of civil war (3 marks).
  2. League: Pakistan conceded (1 mark).
  3. Sikhs, other parties (1 mark).
  4. Conclusion on shared exhaustion (1 mark).

Answer: The Congress leaders had seen the communal riots following Direct Action Day and the obstruction of the League in the Interim Government, and concluded that India could be united only by force. They preferred a smaller India with a strong Centre to a weak federation, and partition would end separate electorates and the League's veto. They also feared that delay would bring civil war or the break-up of the country by the princes. The League accepted because the Plan conceded Pakistan, though smaller than it had asked for. The Sikhs accepted the division of Punjab, which kept East Punjab in India. Each party therefore saw more risk in delay than in the Plan.

Example 5: Source-based: the Independence Act · 6 marks · Source-basedHOTS / competency

Read the extract (written for this page) and answer.

A law passed by the British Parliament in July 1947 created two independent dominions from a stated August date. It abolished the office of Secretary of State, ended the old arrangements with the princely states, and said that each country's assembly would act as its legislature until a constitution was made. Meanwhile the older 1935 Act would apply with changes.

(i) Name the law and the date it came into force. [1]
(ii) What happened to the British power over the princely states? [1]
(iii) Explain the significance of the clause about the Constituent Assemblies. [2]
(iv) Why was the 1935 Act kept in use? [2]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (i) Indian Independence Act; 15 August 1947 (1 mark).
  2. (ii) Paramountcy lapsed; treaties ended (1 mark).
  3. (iii) Assemblies became sovereign legislatures; Britain lost authority (2 marks).
  4. (iv) No new constitution ready; it provided a working framework until then (2 marks).

Answer: (i) The Indian Independence Act, in force on 15 August 1947. (ii) British paramountcy lapsed and the treaties with the princely states ended. (iii) The Constituent Assembly of each dominion became sovereign and acted as its legislature, and the British Parliament lost all authority over them, which made independence real. (iv) The new countries had no constitutions yet, so the Government of India Act, 1935, modified as required, gave a working framework for administration in the meantime.

Where students lose marks in Attlee's Declaration, Mountbatten Plan and Independence Act

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Confusing the Declaration and the Plan

    Both are 1947 documents.

    Wrong working

    The Mountbatten Plan was announced on 20 February 1947.

    Right working

    Attlee's Declaration, 20 February; the Mountbatten Plan, 3 June.

    Do this: Attlee = February; Mountbatten = June.

    Usually costs: 1-2 marks.

  • Mistake: Stating that the princely states were forced to join

    Missing the lapse of paramountcy.

    Wrong working

    The Plan merged the states into India and Pakistan.

    Right working

    Paramountcy lapsed; the states could join either dominion (or in theory remain independent).

    Do this: Lapse, then choice.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Writing only Congress reasons for acceptance

    The syllabus says "major political parties".

    Wrong working

    Reasons given only for the Congress.

    Right working

    Add the League (Pakistan conceded) and the Sikhs (Punjab divided).

    Do this: Three parties, three lines.

    Usually costs: 2 marks.

  • Mistake: Treating the Independence Act as a new constitution

    Not noticing the interim role.

    Wrong working

    The Act gave India its constitution.

    Right working

    The Act created dominions; the 1935 Act served as an interim constitution.

    Do this: Act = independence; Constituent Assembly = constitution.

    Usually costs: 1-2 marks.

Exam tips

  • Learn three dates: 20 February, 3 June and 15 August 1947.
  • In "reasons for acceptance" answers, devote a sentence to each major party.
  • For the Act, mention the lapse of paramountcy, the abolition of the Secretary of State and the continuing 1935 Act.

Practice questions on Attlee's Declaration, Mountbatten Plan and Independence Act

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

    On what date was power transferred to India and Pakistan, and how did it compare with Attlee's deadline? [2]

    Hint

    Earlier than June 1948.

    Answer

    Power was transferred on 15 August 1947, about ten months before the June 1948 deadline announced by Attlee.

  2. Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

    List any three provisions of the Indian Independence Act. [3]

    Hint

    Dominions, Governor-General, paramountcy.

    Answer

    It created two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, from 15 August 1947; each had a Governor-General appointed on the advice of its own government; British paramountcy over the princely states lapsed; the office of Secretary of State for India was abolished.

  3. Q3 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Why did the Congress accept partition in 1947 despite opposing it? [4]

    Hint

    Riots, obstruction, strong centre, risk of civil war.

    Answer

    After the riots that followed Direct Action Day, the Congress leaders felt that a united India could only be held by force. The League's obstruction in the Interim Government made joint rule impossible. They preferred a smaller India with a strong Centre to a weak federation, and feared that delay would lead to civil war or princely states breaking away.

  4. Q4 · 5 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Explain how the Mountbatten Plan dealt with Punjab, Bengal and the princely states. [5]

    Hint

    Two-part assemblies, Boundary Commission, paramountcy lapses.

    Answer

    The legislative assemblies of Punjab and Bengal would meet in two parts, Muslim-majority districts and other districts, and if either part voted for partition, the province would be divided by a Boundary Commission headed by Radcliffe. For the princely states, paramountcy would lapse and each could join India or Pakistan, or in theory remain independent.

  5. Q5 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    "Mountbatten's advance of the date to 15 August 1947 increased the dangers of partition." Examine this view fairly, using evidence for and against. [6] (Evaluation)

    Hint

    Compare the benefits of speed with the problems of dividing in ten weeks.

    Answer

    In support: only about ten weeks were available for dividing provinces, assets and the armed forces, and the Boundary Commission worked quickly, so arrangements for protecting people may have been weak. Against: a longer delay risked civil war and the break-up of the country by the princes, and the parties themselves accepted a quick transfer. Historians disagree on how much responsibility the timetable bears compared with the earlier breakdown of trust. A fair view is that speed added risks but was one factor among several, the others being the riots and the failure of the Cabinet Mission Plan.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Who replaced Wavell as Viceroy?Show answer

    Lord Mountbatten.

  2. 2.Who chaired the Boundary Commission?Show answer

    Sir Cyril Radcliffe.

  3. 3.What date did Attlee give as the latest for the transfer of power?Show answer

    June 1948.

  4. 4.What happened to paramountcy?Show answer

    It lapsed on 15 August 1947.

  5. 5.Which two places were to hold referendums under the Plan?Show answer

    The North-West Frontier Province and Sylhet.

  6. 6.Which Act was used as the interim constitution?Show answer

    The Government of India Act, 1935, with modifications.

Attlee's Declaration, Mountbatten Plan and Independence Act: frequently asked questions

What was Attlee's Declaration of 1947?

An announcement on 20 February 1947 that Britain would leave India by June 1948 at the latest, with Mountbatten as the new Viceroy.

What were the main features of the Mountbatten Plan?

Two dominions, partition of Punjab and Bengal by assembly vote, a decision for Sind and referendums for NWFP and Sylhet, a Boundary Commission, lapse of paramountcy and transfer on 15 August 1947.

Why did the Congress accept the Plan?

Because of the riots, the League's obstruction, the preference for a strong Centre and the fear of civil war or princely secession.

What did the Indian Independence Act do?

It created two independent dominions from 15 August 1947, ended British paramountcy and the Secretary of State's office and made the Constituent Assemblies sovereign.