IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : Modern India - COLONIALISM: THE NEW ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM - PRE AND POST 1857

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

Modern India 1857-1964

COLONIALISM: THE NEW ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM - PRE AND POST 1857

Structure
Objectives
Introduction
Establishment of British Supremacy
Administrative System Before 1857
5 3.1 East lndia Company Vis-a-vis British Parliament
5.3.2 Economic Policy
5.3.3 Land Revenue Policy
5.3.4 Judicial System
5.3.5 Impact of British Administration
Administrative System After 1857
5.4.1 The New Administrative Set Up
5.4.2 Administrative Decentralisation
5.4.3 Economic Policy
5.4.4 Organisation of the Army
5.4.5 Civil Services
5.4.6 Relations with Princely States
5.4.7 Itost~le Administration
5.4.8 The Question of Self Government for lndia
Let Us Sum Up
Key Words
Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

Objectives

The aim of this Unit is to study the pattern and growth of British Administrative System before and after 1857. After going through this unit you should be able to understand:

the transformation of the East India Company from a commercial to a territorial power,
the growth of British parliamentary control over Indian affairs without assuming direct responsibility for the governance of India,
administrative system of the East India Company,
the growth of India into a British Colony,
the assumption of direct control by Wish Parliament and the impact of British Rule in India, and
the rise of National Consciousness and demand for Self Government leading to freedom.

5.1 INTRODUCTION

The Mughals had established a centralized form of administration. In their administrative set-up, as you can recall, the cult of personality dominated all departments. The personalised state was, however, unable to stand stress and strain and proved weak before the onslaught of the East India Company. The defeat at Plasscy cxposcd all thc Indian weaknesses. From now onwards the British established themselves as a strong power. In this unit you will study the pattern of British Administrative System as under the East India Company and later as under the British Crown. We will also discuss how behind the problem of administration lay the fundamental issue, the nature and object of British rule over India.

5.2 ESTABLISHMENT OF BRITISH SUPREMACY

The East lndia Company began as a trading corporation. Its early organisation was suitable to that of a purely trade organisation. Each Chief "factory" or tmding establishment was underlthe control of a President, later called Governor, and a Council, consisting of the senior servants of the company in the factory. New and less important factories were put under the charge of a senior merchant or "factor". The Commercial factories which had a President as head came to be called Presidencies, such as those of Madras, Bombay and Calcutta.

The jurisdiction and control of the company grew by different processes, namely the acquisition of Zamindari rights, conquest or cession of territory and assumption of the Diwani.

In 1698 the company bought the Zamindari rights of the villages of Sutanati, Calcutta and Govindpur. In 1757 the company acquired rights in the twenty-four parganas on the basis of a quit rent which was subsequently assigned to the company.

In 1760 Mir Kassim ceded to the company the district of Burdwan, Chittagong and Midnapur and this was confirmed by the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam. The Constitutional position of the British Crown with regard to territories obtained by a grant from the emperor was not clear but, the official viewpoint is reflected in this statement:

"In respect to such places as have been or shall be acquired by treaty or grant from the Mughal or any of the Indian Princes ot Government your Majesty's letters, patent are not necessary the property of the soil vesting in the company by the Indian Grants, subject only to your Majesty's right of Sovereignty over the settlement.. . . in respect to such places as have lately been required or shall. henceforth be conquered, the property and sovereignty vests in your majesty by virtue of your known prerogative and consequently the company can only derive a right to them, by your Majesty's Grant".

Over Englishmen the company relied upon its chartered rights while over Indians the authority of the Company was that of a Zamindar under a local fauzdar.

After the battle of Buxar in 1764 the British became the supreme power in Bengal.

5.3 ADMINISTRATION BEFORE 1857

When the British took control of Bengal, they tried to establish administration according to their requirements. Before 1765 the Nawab of Bengal was looking after the administration. Theoretically he was working as an agent of the Mughal Emperor, but in practice he had absolute authority. As Nizam he was incharge of law and order, military power and criminal justice and as Diwan he was responsible for the revenue collection and administration of civil justice. In 1764 after the Battle of Buxar the British became supreme power in Bengal. Open annexation would have created political complication both for the company in India and the home government. The company therefore procured an order from the Mughal emperor granting them the diwani (rights to collect hnd revenue) for Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Even in the exercise of its powers as diwan, the actual collection of revenue initially remained in the hands of the Nawab's deputies. The nizamat remained in the hands of the Nawab. This dual nature of administration came to an end in 1772, when the company decided to take actual control of revenue collection.

The company had now grown from a predominantly commercial into a predominantly territorial power. The question now was whether India was to be governed by a trading corporation which would lwk primarily to its commercial interests or whether authority was to be exercised by British Parliament.

With the expansion of political power of the company misuse of power by its officials also increased. The acquisition of political power by the company was questioned in England and there was pressure on parliament to intervene. Continuous wars and mis-management by the cofnpany officials landed it in deep financial crisis. The company requested parliament for financial help. The parliament agreed on the - condition that it will regulate the administration of company in England and India. For this purpose the Regulating Act of 1773 was passed.

5.3.1 East India Company Vis-a-vis British Parliament

The Regulating Act of 1773 might be regarded as the first serious attempt by the British

Parliament to regulate Indian affairs. It constituted for the first time a supreme government, headed by a Governor General of Fort William in Bengal and four Councillors, having the supervisory authority over the presidencies of Bombay and Madras. The presidencies were forbidden to make war or peace with Indian states without the consent of Governor General and Council, except in cases of imminent necessity and also in the cases where they had received direct orders from the court of Directors. The Act also provided for the establishment of a Supreme Court of Judicature at Calcutta. The Regulating Act recognised the right of Parliament to regulate the civil, military and revenue affairs of the company's territories in India and registers the first concern in the intervention of the Indian affairs. The Act suffered from certain fundamental defects which contributed to the difficulties of Warren Hastings who was opposed by his councillors. The Act was also vague about the jurisdiction control over subordinate presidencies and the jurisdiction between the Supreme Council and the Supreme Court. As a consequence of the defects of the Act, Warren Hastings found himself unable to carry out his administrative responsibilities and one crisis often developed another in the council.

In 1781 steps were taken to bring greater control over the company's affairs. The North-Fox coalition made a serious attempt to reorganise the Company's system of government. They introduced two bills. Charles James Fox spoke of the Company's administration as a system of despotism "unmatched in all the histories of the world". The Company expressed its opposition to the placing of its patronage at the disposal of Ministers. The bills were passed by the House of Commons but were rejected by the Lords.

On assumption of office of the Prime Minister, William Pitt decided to introduce an India Bill. Pitt had the support of only a minority in the House of Commons. At the same time he had to allay the fears of the East India Company. Pitt negotiated with the Company and with its approval worked out a plan of Parliamentary control over Indian affairs known as Pitt's India Bill which passed into a law in August 1784. According to this Act, distinction between territories and commerce was to be maintained. Territorial administration was to be placed under a representative body of Parliament while the Company was to continue to control commerce. The government in India however, would still be run in the name of the company but political and revenue matters would be subject to the control and supervision of the proposed parliamentary body.

Pitt's India Act established an effective instrument of control, direction and supervision which worked with slight alterations till 1858. And the control of the Crown was now complete over India.

In the first half of the nineteenth century the character of legislation for the administration of British territories was to some extent infuenced by Utilitarian thought and principles as shown by Eric Stokes in his book "The English Utilitarians and India" (Oxford, 1959). The renewal of the Charter in 1813 was marked by expression of liberal principles. Administration of the company was left in its hands but the monopoly of the Company's Indian trade was abolished. By the Act of 1833, the Company surrendered all its personal property in India and held it in trust for the crown. The company disappeared as a commercial agency in India, remaining as a political agent for the crown. Now the government of India was reconstituted on a new model which gave it in all India character.