History Quiz: India under the Company’s rule (Administrative structure, Developments, reforms in various fields, etc.) |19 May, 2021

 The Pitt’s India Act gave the British government a large measure of control over the Company’s affairs. In fact, the Company became a subordinate department of the State. The Company’s territories in India were termed British possessions. 

• The government’s control over the Company’s affairs was greatly extended. A Board of Control consisting of the chancellor of exchequer, a secretary of state and four members of the Privy Council (to be appointed by the Crown) were to exercise control over the Company’s civil, military and revenue affairs.  
• All dispatches were to be approved by the board. Thus, a dual system of control was set up. 

• In India, the governor-general was to have a council of three (including the commander-in-chief), and the presidencies of Bombay and Madras were made subordinate to the governor-general. 
• A general prohibition was placed on aggressive wars and treaties (breached often). 

Source: Spectrum’s A Brief History of Modern India. 

The Charter Act of 1813: In England, the business interests were pressing for an end to the Company’s monopoly over trade in India because of a spirit of laissez-faire and the continental system by Napoleon by which the European ports were closed for Britain.

The 1813 Act sought to redress these grievances – The Company’s monopoly over trade in India ended, but the Company retained the trade with China and the trade in tea.

The Charter Act of 1833: The lease of 20 years to the Company was further extended. Territories of India were to be governed in the name of the Crown.

• The Company’s monopoly over trade with China and in tea also ended.
• All restrictions on European immigration and the acquisition of property in India were lifted. Thus, the way was paved for the wholesale European colonization of India.
• A law member was added to the governor-general’s council for professional advice on law-making.
• Indian laws were to be codified and consolidated.
• No Indian citizen was to be denied employment under the Company on the basis of religion, colour, birth, descent, etc. (Although the reality was different, this declaration formed the sheet-anchor of political agitation in India.)

• The administration was urged to take steps to ameliorate the conditions of slaves and to ultimately abolish slavery. (Slavery was abolished in 1843.)

Source: Spectrum’s A Brief History of Modern India.

Explanation: Lord Canning 1856-1857 (Governor General of India):

• Establishment of three universities at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay in 1857.

• Revolt of 1857.

Lord Canning 1858-1862 (Viceroy):

• Transfer of control from East India Company to the Crown, the Government of India Act, 1858.
• ‘White Mutiny’ by European troops in 1859.
• Indian Councils Act of 1861.

Source: Spectrum’s A Brief History of Modern India.

The Charter Act of 1813: In England, the business interests were pressing for an end to the Company’s monopoly over trade in India because of a spirit of laissez-faire and the continental system by Napoleon by which the European ports were closed for Britain. The 1813 Act sought to redress these grievances:

• The Company’s monopoly over trade in India ended, but the Company retained the trade with China and the trade in tea.
• The Company’s shareholders were given a 10.5 per cent dividend on the revenue of India.

• The Company was to retain the possession of territories and the revenue for 20 years more, without prejudice to the sovereignty of the Crown. (Thus, the constitutional position of the British territories in India was defined explicitly for the first time.)
• Powers of the Board of Control were further enlarged.
• A sum of one lakh rupees was to be set aside for the revival, promotion and encouragement of literature, learning and science among the natives of India, every year. (This was an important statement from the point of State’s responsibility for education.)
• The regulations made by the Councils of Madras, Bombay and Calcutta were now required to be laid before the British Parliament. The constitutional position of the British territories in India was thus explicitly defined for the first time.
• Separate accounts were to be kept regarding commercial transactions and territorial revenues. The power of superintendence and direction of the Board of Control was not only defined but also enlarged considerably.

• Christian missionaries were also permitted to come to India and preach their religion.

Source: Spectrum’s A Brief History of Modern India.

Indian Councils Act, 1892:

• In 1885, the Indian National Congress was founded. The Congress saw reform of the councils as the “root of all other reforms”.
• It was in response to the Congress demand that the legislative councils be expanded that the number of non-official members was increased both in the central (Imperial) and provincial legislative councils by the Indian Councils Act, 1892.
• The Legislative Council of the Governor-General (or the Indian Legislative Council, as it came to be known) was enlarged.

• The universities, district boards, municipalities, zamindars, trade bodies and chambers of commerce were empowered to recommend members to the provincial councils. Thus, was introduced the principle of representation.
• Though the term ‘election’ was firmly avoided in the Act, an element of indirect election was accepted in the selection of some of the non-official members.
• The members of the legislatures were now entitled to express their views upon financial statements which were henceforth to be made on the floor of the legislatures.
• They could also put questions within certain limits to the executive on matters of public interest after giving six days’ notice.

Source: Spectrum’s A Brief History of Modern India.

Indian Councils Act, 1909:

• Popularly known as the Morley-Minto Reforms, the Act made the first attempt to bring in a representative and popular element in the governance of the country.
• The strength of the Imperial Legislative Council was increased.
• With regard to the central government, an Indian member was taken for the first time in the Executive Council of the Governor-General (Satyendra Prasad Sinha was the first Indian to join the Governor-General’s—or Viceroy’s— Executive Council, as law member.)
• The members of the Provincial Executive Council were increased.
• The powers of the legislative councils, both central and provincial, were increased.

Source: Spectrum’s A Brief History of Modern India.

The civil service system introduced in India by the East India Company for the benefit of its commercial affairs got transformed into a well-structured machinery to look after the administrative affairs of the acquired territories in India.

• In fact, in the beginning, the term ‘civil service’ was used to distinguish the servants of the Company engaged in commercial affairs from those people employed in the military and naval services.
• Gradually, the civil servants were bestowed with other responsibilities and authority.
• In 1800, Wellesley (governor-general, 1798-1805) set up the Fort William College for training of new recruits.

• In 1806 Wellesley’s college was disapproved by the Court of Directors and instead the East India College was set up at Hailey bury in England to impart two years’ training to the recruits.

Indian Civil Service Act, 1861: This Act reserved certain offices for convenanted civil servants but the examination was held in England in English language, based on classical learning of Greek and Latin.

• The maximum permissible age was gradually reduced from 23 (in 1859) to 22 (in 1860) to 21 (in 1866) and to 19 (1878).
• In 1863, Satyendra Nath Tagore became the first Indian to qualify for the Indian Civil Service.

Source: Spectrum’s A Brief History of Modern India.

Ripon’s Resolution of 1882: The Government of Ripon desired the provincial governments to apply in case of local bodies the same principle of financial decentralization which Lord Mayo’s Government had begun towards them. For his contributions, Lord Ripon is called father of local self-government in India.

Source: Spectrum’s A Brief History of Modern India.

Press Act of 1835 or Metcalfe Act: Metcalfe (governor-general—1835-36) repealed the obnoxious 1823 ordinance and earned the epithet, “liberator of the Indian press”.

• The new Press Act (1835) required a printer/publisher to give a precise account of premises of a publication and cease functioning, if required by a similar declaration.
• The result of a liberal press policy was a rapid growth of newspapers.

The Vernacular Press Act (VPA), 1878 was designed to ‘better control’ the vernacular press and effectively punish and repress seditious writing.

• The Act came to be nicknamed “the gagging Act”. The worst features of this Act were—(i) discrimination between English and vernacular press, (ii) no right of appeal.
• Under VPA, proceedings were instituted against Som Prakash, Bharat Mihir, Dacca Prakash and Samachar.

Source: Spectrum’s A Brief History of Modern India.

Indian Universities Act, 1904: The dawn of 20th century saw political unrest. The official view was that under private management the quality of education had deteriorated and educational institutions acted as factories producing political revolutionaries.

• Nationalists accepted the decline in quality but accused the Government of not doing anything to eradicate illiteracy.
• In 1902, Raleigh Commission was set up to go into conditions and prospects of universities in India and to suggest measures for improvement in their constitution and working.
• The commission precluded from reporting on primary or secondary education. Based on its recommendations, the Indian Universities Act was passed in 1904.

Source: Spectrum’s A Brief History of Modern India.