Governor Generals from 1794-1813

• Sir. John Sore 1794-1798

• Lord Wellesley 1798-1805
• Lord Cornwallis 1805-1807
• Lord Minto 1807-1813
 1801

1803

1798

1799

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WELLESLEY’S SUBSIDIARY ALLIANCE SYSTEM:
Indian states was surrender its external relations to
the company administration
Under the Subsidiary Alliance system the ruler of
the allying Indian state was compelled to accept
the permanent stationing of British force within
his territory and to pay a contributory for its
maintenance.
The states were to accept a British resident at its
headquarter.
Nizam of Hyderabad joined in system in 1798,
Mysore in 1799.
Nawab of Awad forced to sign in subsidiary system
in 1801.
By 1803, English forces defeated Maratha
Peshwas and signed on subsidiary system.

The system led to the dismissal of the

armies of the protected states.

Soldiers and official were lost their jobs

and livelihood at the same time they
became the rivals of the Company.
• Lord Hastings 1813-1823
• Lord Amherst 1823-1828
• Lord William Bentinck 1828-1835

5
6
7
1813 Charter Act

8
• The Act of 1813 renewed the charter of the
East India Company for 20 years.
• Trade was thrown open to all British
subjects and the company lost its trade
monopoly.
• The Indian administration was asked to
maintain separate accounts for its
commercial and political activities.
• The Act marks the beginning of an
ecclesiastical establishment in India for
missionaries were now permitted to settle in
the country.
9
An educational policy was also initiated by the
grant of Rs one lakh out of the Company’s
Indian revenues for the encouragement of
education, literature and science.

10
Reasons behind reforms of 1833

• Economic Condition of Company

• Public opinion in England
• Favor to Christianity
 Wars of Company
• Third Anglo-Maratha War 1817
• Four Anglo- Mysore Wars 1769-99
• The Anglo-Nepal War 1814-16
• First Burmese War 1824-26 Chittagong
 Charter Act 1833
• Company got another twenty years the Company’s
political and administrative authority. (up to i.e. 1853)

• Company lost his monopoly over all trade activities and

had only some administrative responsibilities.

• It invested the Board of Control with full power and

authority over the Company.

• Governor General of Bengal or East India Company,

here onwards called Governor General of India.

• A centralized Government established under the

leadership of Governor General with full power and
authority in all civil and military matters.
• Governor General and his Council had given rights to
prepare new laws depending on the west laws and
natural justice.

• The governments of Madras and Bombay could make or

suspend laws in case of urgent necessity.

• The Act increased the members of the Council from

three to four. The fourth member was the Law Member
specially appointed to fulfill and legislative duties of
the Governor General.

• Section 53 of the Act of 1833 empowered to Governor

General in Council to appoint a Law Commission from time
to time.

• The purpose was to study, collect and codify various

rules and regulations prevalent in India.
• A Law Commission was appointed under the
leadership of Lord Maculay to create new law for
India.

• Section 87, of the Act declared that no person

can be disqualified for any place in the Company’s
service by reason of caste, colour, creed or
place of birth.

• It was laid down that merit was to be the basis

for employment in Government Services and the
religion, birth place, and race of the candidates
were not to be considered in employment.
 1853 Act
• Sir Charles Metcalfe 1835-36
• Lord Auckland 1836-42
• Lord Ellen borough 1842-44
• Lord Harding 1844-48
• Lord Dalhousie 1848-56
 1853 Charter Act
• The law member was made a full member of the
Governor General’s Council.
• The Charter Act of 1853 increased the number of
legislative council members.
• The new legislative council was consisted of 12
members.
1.Governor General and his Council members (1+4 )
2. Commander-in-chief
3. 4 representatives from providences
4. Chief Justice of Supreme Court Justice and a
judge from Supreme Court to be named by
Governor General
• A separate Governor appointed for Presidency of
Bengal.

• The Act given right to Board of control to change

the boundaries of provinces.

• The number of Court of Directors was reduced to

18 and 6 were to be nominated by the Crown.

• The Act authoresses the crown to appoint a Law

Commission in England.
20
• The Doctrine of Lapse was an annexation policy
introduced by Lord Dalhousie between 1848 and
1856.
• According to the Doctrine, any princely state or
territory under the direct influence of
the British Subsidiary System, would
automatically be annexed if the ruler was either
• "manifestly incompetent or died without a
direct heir”

21
 Codification of Indian Law
• Various charters which issued from 1601 to 1693
were purely of a commercial nature empowering
the company to control its employees by framing
rule and regulations.

• George I’s Charter of 1726 created Corporations

in Calcutta, Bombay and Madras and established
Mayor’s court.

• The Governor and Council in three places were

authoresses to make, constitute and bylaws and
rules for good government.
• By 1764 Baxar war company merchants
gained political power in India.

• The nature and contents of the Charters,

which were granted to the company after
1765 also changed.

• Number of rules and regulation were made

for proper revenue collection in Bengal and
so many rules made regarding general
administration.
23
• All these rules were not done through any
legislature but were done through the
servants of the company.

• Warren Hastings plan of 1772 was the

first British Indian Code consisting 37
rules dealing with Civil and Criminal Code.

• 1773 Regulating Act which empowered the

Governor General to make rules,
regulations and ordinances for the good
government.
• In 1781, some reforms and rules were
introduced by Elijah Emphy .

• Lord Cornwallis introduced 47 Regulations

regarding administration on the name of
Code of 1793.

• In 1807, a uniform system of legislative

prevailed in the three presidencies of
Calcutta, Madras and Bombay.
• 1833 Charter also made certain alternative in the
legislative powers to the three presidencies.

• In Bengal alone more than 675 regulations

which contained several sections made based on
the necessity.

• The system of Regulation law proved very

defective.

• ‘Diversity’ prevailed where ‘Uniformity’ was

needed the most.