Historical Background: Company Rule & Crown Rule (1773-1947)

• Governor-General of Bengal: Redesignated Governor of Bengal as Governor-General of Bengal. First was Lord Warren Hastings. Created 4-member Executive Council to assist him.
• Subordination of Presidencies: Made the Governors of Bombay and Madras subordinate to the Governor-General of Bengal in foreign and war affairs.
• Supreme Court at Calcutta (1774): Established at Fort William with 1 Chief Justice and 3 regular judges. First Chief Justice: Sir Elijah Impey.
• Prohibition on Private Trade: Prohibited Company servants from engaging in private trade or accepting presents and bribes from natives.
• Court of Directors: Mandated reporting on revenue, civil, and military affairs to the British Government.

• Double Government: Distinguished commercial and political functions. Court of Directors retained commercial management; a new 6-member Board of Control supervised civil, military, and revenue affairs.
• "British Possessions in India": Company territories in India were named "British possessions in India" for the first time in official British statute.
• Governor-General's Council Reduced: Council strength reduced from 4 to 3 members to facilitate decisive voting by the Governor-General.

• Trade Monopoly Ended: Abolished EIC commercial monopoly over Indian trade, opening it to all private British merchants. Retained monopoly strictly in Tea trade and Trade with China.
• Education Allocation: Mandated annual expenditure of Rs 1,00,000 (One Lakh) for the revival and promotion of literature and modern science among Indians [PYQ-0925].
• Christian Missionaries: Permitted Christian missionaries to enter India under license to preach and educate.

• Governor-General of India: Redesignated Governor-General of Bengal as Governor-General of India. First: Lord William Bentinck. Vested full civil and military powers.
• Abolition of Presidencies' Lawmaking: Governors of Bombay and Madras completely stripped of their legislative powers; exclusive lawmaking authority vested in Governor-General in Council.
• Commercial Monopoly Terminated: Completely ended all commercial activities of EIC (including tea and China). Company became a purely administrative trustee for the British Crown.
• Law Member Added: Added 4th member (Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay) to Executive Council for legislative purposes only, initiating the First Law Commission (1834) and Indian Penal Code (IPC).

• Separation of Powers: For the first time, separated legislative and executive functions of the Governor-General's Council. Added 6 legislative councillors to form the Indian (Central) Legislative Council.
• Open Civil Service Competition: Threw open recruitment to the covenanted civil service through open competitive examination. Led to the appointment of the Macaulay Committee on the Indian Civil Service (1854).
• Local Representation: Introduced local representation in the Central Legislative Council: 4 out of 6 legislative members appointed by provincial governments of Madras, Bombay, Bengal, and Agra.

Enacted in the immediate wake of the 1857 Revolt (Sepoy Mutiny). Liquidated the East India Company and transferred powers of government, territories, and revenues directly to the British Crown [PYQ-3003].

• Viceroy of India: Changed designation of Governor-General of India to Viceroy of India (direct representative of the Crown). First Viceroy: Lord Canning.
• Secretary of State for India: Created new cabinet office in London: Secretary of State for India, member of British Cabinet, responsible to Parliament.
• Council of India: Established 15-member advisory body in London to assist the Secretary of State (corporate body capable of suing and being sued).
• Abolition of Double Government: Abolished both the Court of Directors and the Board of Control.

• Association of Indians in Lawmaking: Mandated nomination of non-official Indian members to Viceroy Legislative Council. In 1862, Lord Canning nominated three Indians: Raja of Benaras, Maharaja of Patiala, and Sir Dinkar Rao.
• Legislative Devolution: Reversed 1833 centralization by restoring legislative powers to the Presidencies of Bombay and Madras. Established new legislative councils for Bengal (1862), NWFP (1886), and Punjab (1897).
• Portfolio System: Statutorily recognized the portfolio system introduced by Lord Canning in 1859 (member placed in charge of one or more departments, issuing orders on behalf of Council).
• Ordinance-Making Power: Empowered Viceroy to issue ordinances during emergency without council concurrence (valid for 6 months).

• Enlarged Legislative Functions: Granted members the right to discuss the annual budget and address questions to the executive (with 6 days prior notice). However, members could neither vote on the budget nor ask supplementary questions [PYQ-0520].
• Indirect Election Principle: Provided for nomination of non-official members to Central Council on recommendation of provincial councils and Bengal Chamber of Commerce, and to provincial councils on recommendation of universities, district boards, and municipalities. (Word "election" was carefully avoided in the text).

Named after Lord Morley (Secretary of State for India in London) and Lord Minto (Viceroy of India in Calcutta) [PYQ-0758, PYQ-3073].

• Separate Electorates for Muslims: Introduced communal representation for Muslims where Muslim members could only be elected by Muslim voters. Lord Minto came to be known as the "Father of Communal Electorate".
• Enlarged Councils: Central Legislative Council size increased from 16 to 60. Maintained official majority at Centre, but allowed non-official majority in Provincial Legislative Councils.
• Deliberative Powers: Members allowed to move resolutions on the budget, ask supplementary questions, and discuss matters of public interest.
• Indians in Executive Council: For the first time, provided for association of Indians with the Viceroy's Executive Council. Satyendra Prasad Sinha became the first Indian appointed to Viceroy's Executive Council (appointed as Law Member).

Enacted based on the August Declaration 1917 ("responsible government"). Named after Edwin Montagu (Secretary of State) and Lord Chelmsford (Viceroy). Came into operation in 1921.

• Provincial Dyarchy: Divided provincial subjects into two categories:
  • Transferred Subjects: Administered by the Governor with the advice of Ministers responsible to the Legislative Council (e.g. Local Self-Government, Public Health, Education, Agriculture) [PYQ-0759].
  • Reserved Subjects: Administered by the Governor and his Executive Council without legislative accountability (e.g. Police, Land Revenue, Justice, Finance, Irrigation) [PYQ-0759].
• Bicameralism at Centre: Introduced bicameral legislature at the Centre: Council of State (Upper House) and Legislative Assembly (Lower House) [PYQ-0690].
• Separation of Budgets: First time separated provincial budgets from central budgets, empowering provincial legislatures to enact their own budgets [PYQ-1560].
• Extension of Communal Electorates: Extended separate electorates to Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, and Europeans [PYQ-0520].
• Franchise Restrictions: Franchise granted to limited electorate based on property, tax, and education; universal adult franchise was strictly NOT introduced [PYQ-0690].
• Statutory Commission: Mandated appointment of a statutory commission after 10 years to inquire into the working of the Act (resulted in the Simon Commission in 1927) [PYQ-1086].
• Public Service Commission: Provided for the establishment of a Central Public Service Commission (set up in 1926 under Lee Commission recommendations).

Longest and most detailed British enactment for India (321 sections and 10 schedules). Served as the primary structural blueprint for the Constitution of India 1950.

• All-India Federation: Envisaged a federation of British Indian provinces and princely states. Never materialized because princely states refused to join.
• Provincial Autonomy: Abolished provincial dyarchy. Provinces established as autonomous units of administration; Governors required to act on advice of ministers responsible to provincial legislatures (took effect in 1937, resigned in 1939).
• Dyarchy at Centre (Proposed): Provided for division of federal subjects into Reserved (Defence, Foreign Affairs, Ecclesiastical, Tribal) and Transferred, but this central dyarchy never took effect.
• Division of Powers into Three Lists:
  • Federal List: 59 items (Foreign Affairs, Defence, Currency).
  • Provincial List: 54 items (Police, Public Order, Education).
  • Concurrent List: 36 items (Civil procedure, Criminal law).
• Residuary Powers Trap: Residuary powers were vested neither in Federal nor Provincial legislatures, but in the Governor-General (Viceroy) in his discretion (Contrast with Art 248 of modern Constitution which vests residuary powers in Parliament).
• Federal Court & Institutions: Established the Federal Court in 1937 (Sir Maurice Gwyer as first Chief Justice), Reserve Bank of India (1935), and Federal Public Service Commission.
• Provincial Bicameralism: Introduced bicameralism in 6 out of 11 provinces: Bengal, Bombay, Madras, Bihar, Assam, and United Provinces.

Formulated based on the Mountbatten Plan of June 3, 1947. Introduced in British Parliament on July 4, 1947, passed by Commons on July 15, and received Royal Assent on July 18, 1947 [PYQ-1560].

• Termination of British Rule: Declared India an independent and sovereign state from August 15, 1947.
• Partition & Two Dominions: Created two independent sovereign Dominions: India and Pakistan.
• Abolition of Viceroy & Secretary of State: Abolished the office of Viceroy (designated Governor-General for each Dominion, appointed by King on advice of Dominion Cabinet) and abolished the Secretary of State for India.
• Constituent Assemblies Sovereign: Empowered Constituent Assemblies of both Dominions to legislate for their territories and repeal any British act, including the Independence Act itself.
• Lapse of British Paramountcy: Declared lapse of British suzerainty over Indian princely states and treaty relations with tribal areas, granting them freedom to join either Dominion or remain independent.
• Last Viceroy: Lord Mountbatten served as last Viceroy of British India and first Governor-General of the Dominion of India [PYQ-3126].

Indian Council Act of 1909 is also called as:

Which one of the following was not a part of the Government of India Act of 1919?

Choose the correct statements from the following: i. Lord Morley was Secretary of State for India in British Government. ii. Lord Minto was Governor General of India. iii. Lord Morley was Governor General of India. iv. Lord Minto was secretary of state for India in British Government

Which one of the following was not a part of Reserved subjects in the Govt. of India Act of 1919?

Which of the following statements are true? i. The Indian Council Act, of 1909 introduced the principle of election for the first time. ii. The Government of India Act, 1919 gave separate electorates to Sikhs. iii. The Government of India Act, 1935 gave separate representation to Indian Christians. iv. The Indian Councils Act, 1892 decreased the functions of Legislative Council Choose the correct answer:

Which of the following statements are correct? a) Constituent Assembly was suggested by cabinet mission b) The first amendment to Preamble was made in 1975 c) 1919 Government of India Act separated state budget from union budget d) Indian Independence Act was approved by British Parliament on July 15, 1947

Which one of the following is not result of 1857 Sepoy Mutiny ?

Identify the British VICEROY during the time of independence of India.

Name the Governor - General who for the first time introduced Civil Services in India.

Which one of the following statements is not correct about growth of English Education in India?

In which year, the Simon Commission was appointed and who appointed it?

The Indian member in Viceroy Legislative Council who resigned in protest against Rowlatt Bills in 1919