THE BRITISH ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE IN INDIA 1765 1857

• THE BRITISH ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE IN INDIA (1765 -1857)

• When the British first came to India, they came as traders. However as their territories in India grew they felt need to establish some form of administration.

REGULATING ACT • The Regulating Act of 1773 (formally, the East India Company Act 1772) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain intended to overhaul the management of the East India Company's rule in India.

• It is provided for the establishment of Supreme Court at Calcutta (1774). • It created executive council for Governor General of Bengal. • It made the governors of Bombay and Madras presidencies subordinate to the Governor General of Bengal. • It established Board of Control for managing Political Affairs.

PITTS INDIA ACT 0 F 1784 • The East India Company Act (EIC Act 1784), also known as Pitt's India Act, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain intended to address the shortcomings of the Regulating Act of 1773 by bringing the East India Company's rule in India under the control of the British Government.

• Thihs act provided for a Board of Control in Britain consisting six commissioner for monitoring the affairs in India. • The governer-general council was reduced to three members, including one comonder in chief. • The governer-general was given total control over the other two presidencies of Bombay and Madras.

• The pitts India Act laid the foundation for British administration in India. According to the terms of the Act all further consequences of territories in India were stopped.

Charter Act 1813 • The East India Company Act 1813, also known as the Charter Act 1813, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which renewed the charter issued to the British East India Company, and continued the Company's rule in India. However, the Company's commercial monopoly was ended, except for the tea and opium trade and the trade with China, this reflecting the growth of British power in India.

• The East India Company Act 1813, popularly known as the Charter Act 1813 , was an Act passed by the Parliament of United Kingdom on 21 st July 1813 for The East India Company that extended their term in India. Though now their commercial monopoly was over with two exceptions, that too were taken away in 1833. For the first time the constitutional position of British territories in India was defined. •

• The features of the Act were • 1. The crown (then Britain) now had control over the British India. • 2. Rs 100, 000 was allotted for promotion of education of Indian population. • 3. Christian missionaries were now allowed to propagate their faith in India. • 4. The Act regulated company's territorial revenues and commercial profits. • 5. The act also empowered the local government to impose taxes on people who were under supreme court's jurisdiction. It also allowed them to punish people when the taxes were not payed.

• The Charter Act of 1833 was passed in the British Parliament which renewed the East India Company’s charter for another 20 years. This was also called the Government of India Act 1833 or the Saint Helena Act 1833.

Features of the Charter Act of 1833 • The company’s commercial activities were closed down. It was made into an administrative body for British Indian possessions. • The company’s trade links with China were also closed down. • This act permitted the English to settle freely in India. • This act legalised the British colonisation of the country. • The company still possessed the Indian territories but it was held ‘in trust for his majesty’.

THE CIVIL SERVICES • Lord Cornwallis, the governor of general of India fro 1786 to 1792, who gave founded the Indian Civil Services. • He separated executive from the judiciary. • He requirted and trained capable sand honest people for the post of collector, paid them high salaries to prevent corruption, and also prohibited them from accepting gifts. • In 1801 British set up special college to train these men. • One was in Calcutta and the other was in Heileybury, England.

• The British Empire in India was divided in go districts that corresponded roughly to the Sarkars of Mughal Time. • Each District was headed by a magistrate (Collector)who was an officer of the civil service. His function was to maintain law and order and collect revenue in that district. •

• The Charter act of 1853 introduce the system of open competitive examination which was open to all, Including Indians. • Also no Indian could apply for post above a certain level(judge, engineer, police officer etc). • Satyendranath Tagore was the first Indian to enter the civil service in 1863, followed by SN benergy, RC dutta and Biharilal Gupta in 1869.

The Army • The British Army In India consisted largely of Indian Soldier called Sepoys. (from Hindi word Siphi). • He officers were however all British. • The sepoy were better paid and had better working Condition then soldier belonging to Indian Ruler. • However they were basically mercenaries i. e. -they would serve anyone who paid them well. They lacked sense of nationalism and were willing to fight the Indian states. But they also lacked a sense of loyalty to the British. • The sepoy were the Once who led the Revolt of 1857.

THE POLICE • When new territories were Annexed law and order had to be maintained within them. For this the british instituted the police. Cornwallis, who became the governor general in 1786, recognised the police system. • Each district was placed under a Superintendent of Police. • The district was further divided in to thanas, and each thana was headed by a daroga. • The Town were under the charge of Kotowals. • The village policeman came to be called chowkidars.

JUDICIARY • A basic function of a government is to ensure that people obey the laws. When the British started administrate parts of India , they initially continued to apply Hindu Laws or shastras, and Muslim for shariats, when judging cases involving marriage, property, adoptation etc. • In 1793, the Bengal Regulation was introduced with definite codes from the Hindus and Muslim Laws. • This Bengal Regulation was translated in to Indian Language for all to understand. • In 1833 first law commission was established to codify the law system.