By which one of the following Acts was the Governor General of Bengal designated as the Governor General of India?

1. The Regulating Act
2. The Pitt’s India Act
3. The Charter Act of 1793
4. The Charter Act of 1833

Explanation

Option (d) is correct

• The Charter Act of 1833 Provision: The Governor-General of Bengal became the Governor-General of India. William Bentinck was the last Governor-General of Bengal and the. First Governor-General of India.
  • The Governor General’s Executive Council was expanded to include the Law Member, bringing the total number of members to four. (Pitt’s Act of 1784 reduced it to three). Macaulay was the first Law Member of the Governor-General’s Council. He influenced the government’s educational policy for many years.
  • The Governor-General in Council was given the power to legislate for all British territories in India. Hence, the Governors of Bombay and Madras were deprived of their legislative power.
  • The Council was given the power to control, superintend, and direct the Company’s civil and military affairs.
  • The Bombay, Bengal, Madras and other regions were subjected to complete control of the Governor General in Council.
  • The Governor-General was empowered to appoint the Law Commission to study, collect and codify various rules and regulations prevalent in India.
  • It ended the Company’s monopoly on the tea trade and trade with China.
  • The Company was to have only political functions (deprived of commercial functions).
  • The Charter Act of 1833 instructed the government to abolish slavery.
    • 1807: Britain passed the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, outlawing the trans-Atlantic slave trade (British Atlantic slave trade).
    • 1833: Britain passed the Abolition of Slavery Act, ordering the gradual abolition of slavery in all British colonies.
    • 1843: The Indian government abolished slavery.
    • India was to pay the Company’s debts. The company’s shareholders were guaranteed a dividend of 10.5% per annum.

Option (a) is incorrect

• The Regulating Act 1773:
  • In 1773, the British Parliament decided to control the Company’s Administration and passed the Regulating Act.
  • It was the British Parliament’s first act to regulate the Company’s affairs in India.
  • The Act made changes in the constitution of the Court of Directors.
  • The Court of Proprietors would now elect twenty-four members every four years, with six directors retiring annually instead of all directors being elected yearly.
  • The actions of the Directors were subjected to the supervision of the British Government.
  • The Directors of the Company were required to submit all communications about the civil and military affairs of Bengal (administration of Bengal) and the revenues of India to the British Government.
  • The status of Governor of Bengal was raised to the Governor-General of Bengal, and Governors of other provinces in India were subordinate to him.
  • The Governor-General was to be assisted by a council of four members.
  • Decisions were to be made by majority vote, and the Governor-General had a casting vote.
  • The Governor General in Council was given the power:
    • To administer the Bengal Presidency (civil and military administration)
    • To superintend and control the presidencies of Madras and Bombay in matters of war and peace.
  • The Governors of Madras and Bombay were required to regularly send information to the Governor-General regarding the Company’s government revenues and interests.
  • The Governor General was directly controlled by the Court of Directors and kept it fully informed of the Company’s affairs.
  • The Act established a Supreme Court of Justice at Calcutta with the Chief Justice and three judges to give justice to Europeans, their employees and the citizens of Calcutta.

Option (b) is incorrect

• The Pitt’s India Act 1784:
  • Pitt’s Act gave the British Government supreme control over the Company’s affairs and administration in India.
  • The Act established a Board of Control consisting of six commissioners, including two Cabinet ministers. The Board of Control was established:
    • To guide and control the work of the Court of Directors and the Government of India.
    • To control all matters of civil and military affairs and revenue of the British territories in India.
  • In important and urgent matters, the Board of Control had the power to send direct orders to India through a secret committee of Directors.
  • Pitt’s Act reduced the number of members of the Governor-General’s Council to three. One of them was to be the Commander-in-Chief. This enabled the Governor-General to get a majority even if he could get the support of only one member.
  • The Governor-General and Council were made subordinate to the British Government. They were forbidden to declare war and enter into any treaty without the sanction of the directors or the secret committee.
  • The Company’s possessions in India came under the supremacy of the British Parliament and were called British possessions.

Option (c) is incorrect

• The Charter Act of 1793:
  • The Act renewed the company’s commercial privileges for next 20 years.
  • The royal approval was mandated for the appointment of the governor-general, the governors, and the commander in-chief.
  • All higher administrative posts worth more than £ 500 a year salary were to be held by Englishmen. This policy was also applied to other branches of Government, such as the army, police, judiciary, and engineering.
  • The company after paying the necessary expenses, interest etc, from the Indian revenues, was to pay 5 lakh pounds annually to British government.
  • The revenue administration was separated from the judiciary functions and this led to disappearing of the Maal Adalats.
  • The Home government members were to be paid out of the Indian revenues which continued up to 1919.

Answer: (d) The Charter Act of 1833; Difficulty Level: Easy