Regulating Act 1773
• Designated the Governor of Bengal as the Governor
General of Bengal.
• Made Governor General of Bengal as Governor General of
all British Territories in India.
• Created an Exec utive Council with 4 members to assist
the Governor General.
• Made the presidencies of Bombay and Madras,
subordinate to the Governor General and his council.
• Curbed the servants of the company from accepting
presents and bribes from the natives.
• Established a Supreme Court at Fort William, Calcutta.
• AD 1600: East India Company came to India as traders under a charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I.
• AD 1765: the Company obtained the Diwani right over Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
Charter Act 1813
ra
• Ended the monopoly of the East India Company in India.
The company’s monopoly in trade with China and trade in
D
tea remained intact.
• Explicitly defined the constitutional position of the British
territories in India.
• Made provisions to grant permission to the persons who
wished to go to India for promoting moral and religious
improvements.
• Made provision for the Company to invest Rs. 1 Lakh every
year on the education of Indians.
• Regulated company’s territorial revenues and commercial
profits.
• Empowered the local governments to impose taxes on the
persons subject to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
Pitts India Act 1784
• Established a Board of Control in England for the affairs of
India.
• Empowered this Board of Control to control all matters of
civil or military government or revenues.
• Empowered the Governor-General with the right of casting
vote.
• Separated the commercial and political activities of the
company.
• Deprived the Governors of Presidencies of Bombay and
Madras of their independent powers.
t
• Introduced permanent settlement, announced a judicial
en
code, established administrative and Police systems.
u m
THE COMPANY RULE (1773–1858)
oc
D
ft
Charter Act 1833
• Asked the company to close its commercial business and
the company lost its monopoly in China and also the trade
of tea.
• Made the Governor General of Bengal the Governor
general of British India and all financial and administrative
powers were centralized in the hands of
Governor-General in- Council.
• Directed the Governor-General-Council to set up an Indian
law Commission in a step towards codifying the laws.
• Directed the Governor-General-in-Council to adopt
measures to mitigate the state of slavery.
• Directed the Governor-General-in-Council to pay
attention to laws of marriage, rights and authorities of the
heads of the families while drafting any laws.
Charter Act 1793
• Authorized the company to carry on trade with the East
Indies for the next 20 years.
• Empowered the Governor-General to disregard the
majority in special circumstances.
• Referred revenue cases to Zillah adalats or district courts
and Court of appeal was made 5 provincial courts at
Calcutta, Patna, Dhaka & Murshidabad.
• Consolidated Indian Judiciary and reorganized the courts
and redefined their jurisdictions.
• Separated Revenue administration from the Judicial
functions.
Charter Act 1853
• Separated, for the first time, the legislative and executive
functions of the Governor-General’s council.
• Established a separate Governor-General’s legislative council which
came to be known as the Indian (Central) Legislative Council.
• Introduced an open competition system of selection and
recruitment of civil servants.
• Extended the Company’s rule and allowed it to retain the
possession of Indian territories on trust for the British Crown.
• Introduced, for the first time, local representation in the Indian
(Central) Legislative Council.
• Provided for the appointment of a separate Governor for the
Presidency of Bengal, distinct from the Governor General.
• Deprived the Court of Directors of its right of Patronage to
Indian appointments.
 The Government of India Act 1858 Indian Councils Act 1861
• Abolished the East India Company. • Restored the power of legislation to the governor-in-councils
• Provided for the Crown to govern India through a Secretary of of Madras and Bombay.
State. • Introduced Portfolio system in India by Lord Canning.
• Abolished the Dual Government introduced by the Pitt’s India act. • Authorized the Governor-General to exercise veto power and
issue ordinances.
Indian High Courts Act 1861
• Attempted judicial reforms and formal judicial administration.
• Empowered the Queen to establish High Courts and stablished
the High Courts of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay in 1861.
• Vested the High Courts both Original and Appellate Jurisdiction.

Indian Councils Act 1892 Indian Councils Act 1909

t
• Empowered the council members to ask questions on Budget or • This Act popularly known as Minto- Morley reforms.

en
matters of Public Interest. The Crown Rule • Introduced separate and discriminatory communal electorate.
• Introduced the principle of representation in Provincial Councils.
(1858-1947)
• Increased the number of members of the legislative councils at
• Increased the number of the additional members in the council of the centre and provincial legislatures.

m
the governor general.

u
oc
Government of India Act 1919
Indian Independence Act of 1947 Government of India Act 1935
(Montague Chelmsford Reforms)

• Classified the subjects as central & provincial.
• Divided the provincial subjects into reserved and transferred.
• Kept reserved subjects with the Governor & transferred subjects
with Indian Ministers.
• Made the central legislature bicameral as first house as central
Legislative Assembly and the second as Council of States.
D
D
• Provided for the partition of India and Pakistan
• Abolished the office of viceroy and provided overnor-General.
ft
• Empowered the Constituent Assemblies to adopt any
constitution.
ra
• Abolished the office of the secretary of state for India.
• Proclaimed the lapse of British paramountcy over the princely
• Introduced the provincial autonomy
• Introduced Dyarchy at the central level.
• Abolished the Indian council and an advisory body was
introduced.
• Ended the system of Dyarchy.
• Provided for the establishment of a Federation of India.

• Provided for the establishment of a Public Service Commission in
India.
• Made a provision for a statutory commission to inquire into the
working into the system of the government.
• Extended the communal representation to Sikhs, Europeans and
Anglo Indians.
states. • Introduced direct elections and increased the franchise.
• Deprived the British Monarch of his right to veto bills. • Vested the control of the railways in federal railway authority.
• Designated the Governor-General as constitutional heads of
• Further extended the principle of communal representation to
the states. depressed classes, women and labour (workers).
• Discontinued the appointment and reservation by the
• Provided for the establishment of a Reserve Bank of India to
secretary of state. control the currency and credit of the country.
• Lord Mountbatten became the first governor-general of the • Provided for the establishment of a Federal Court, which was
new Dominion. set up in 1937.
• Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of
independent India.
• The Constituent Assembly of India formed in 1946 became
the Parliament
 After formation of
Total strength was 389. Of
Assembly was formed Pakistan, the total strength Allotment of seats were
these, 296 seats to British
on the recommendation came down to 299. 229 in proportion to
India and 93 to the
of Cabinet Mission 1946 from provinces and 70 population. 1: 1Million.
Princely States.
from princely states.

Mr. Sachchidanand Sinha

H.C. Mukherjee and V.T.
was provisional chairman
Krishnamachari were
and Dr. Rajendra Prasad
elected as the Vice-Presidents
later became the
of the Assembly

t
permanent chairman

en
Constituent Assembly
basic facts

m
‘Objectives Resolution’
Constituent Assembly
was moved by

u
met for the first time
Jawaharlal Nehru on
on 09 Dec 1946
December 13, 1946.

oc
D Assembly adopted Constitution came into
ft
Constitution Adopted Constituent Assembly
adopted the national the national anthem force and Constituent
by the Assembly on Assembly ceased to
ra
flag on July 22, 1947 and national songon
26 Nov 1949 existon26 Jan 1950
January 24, 1950
D

Duel Role of Assembly. Objective Resolution

Two separate functions were assigned to the Assembly, that is,
making of a constitution for free India and enacting of ordinary
laws for the country. These two tasks were to be performed on
separate days. Thus, the Assembly became the first Parliament
of free India. Whenever the Assembly met as the Constituent
body it was chaired by Dr. Rajendra Prasad and when it met as
the legislative body, it was chaired by G V Mavlankar. These two
functions continued till November 26, 1949, when the task of
making the Constitution was over.
The basic aims and objectives of the new State of India find their expression in the Objectives Resolution approved by the
Constituent Assembly on January 22nd, 1947 and it laid the foundation of the constitutional structure. The Objectives
Resolution set forth that (i) India would be an independent and sovereign republic; (ii) there would be a democratic Union
with equal level of self-government in all the constituent parts; (iii) all power and authority of government derived from the
people; (iv) the Constitution must strive to guarantee to the people justice based on equality (social, political and
economic), equality before law and equality of opportunity; (v) there should be freedom of thought, expression, belief,
faith, worship, etc., subject to law and public morality; (vi) the Constitution should provide just rights for minorities,
depressed classes and backward areas so as to ensure justice; (vii) the Constitution would be framed to secure for India a
due place in the community of nations and to contribute to the promotion of world peace and the welfare of mankind.
 Union Powers Provincial Consttitution
Committee Committee
Jawaharlal Nehru Sardar Patel

Committee on Fundamental Drafting

Rights, Minorities and Tribals Committee
Sardar Patel. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

t
en
Fundamental Rights Union Constitution

m
SubCommittee Committee
J.B. Kripalani Committees Jawaharlal Nehru

u
of the

oc
Constituent
Assembly

D
Rules of Procedure Minorities
Committee Sub-Committee
Dr. Rajendra Prasad H.C. Mukherjee
ft
ra
D

Committee on the Functions Steering

of the Constituent Assembly Committee
G.V. Mavalankar Dr. Rajendra Prasad

House Special Committee to

Committee Examine the Draft Constitution
B. Pattabhi Sitaramayya Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer
Written Constitution: Lengthy Document:
The constitution of India is a written document to clearly The Constitution of India has the distinction of being the
demarcate the powers between the centre and the state. lengthiest document the world has so far produced.

Drawn from Different Sources: Federal Polity with a Unitary Bias:

The Constitution of India is described as a ‘bag of In accordance with the federal set-up there has been a
borrowings’, or as ‘a hotchpotch of elements drawn from division of powers between the Centre and the States.
various sources’.

Single Citizenship: More Flexible than Rigid:

t
Though the Indian Constitution is federal and envisages a The Indian Constitution seeks to impart flexibility to a

en
dual polity (Centre and states), it provides for only a single written federal constitution.
citizenship.

m
Democratic Republic: Autonomous Organisations:
The Preamble to the Constitution declares that India is a The Constitution has also made a provision for certain
The

u
Sovereign, Socialist, Secular Democratic, and Republic. autonomous bodies to provide checks on the important
salient organs of the government.

oc
features of
Emergency Provisions: Indian Balance between organs:

D
When the President is satisfied that it is impossible to run Constitution. The harmonisation between Parliamentary Sovereignty and
the administration he can declare emergency in nay part a written Constitution with a provision for Judicial Review, is
or whole of the country. a unique feature of India.
ft
ra
Protection of Minorities: Universal Adult Franchise:
The Constitution has provided for a system of reservation The adult suffrage without qualifications of any kind was the
of seats for cultural & religious minorities. boldest step taken by the Constitution-makers of India.
D

Secular State: Fundamental Rights:

The word ‘Secular’ was added by 42nd Amendment Act. A long list of Fundamental Rights has been incorporated in
Secularism in India does mean equal treatment to all the Constitution. They are definite rights.
religion or no official religion.

Directive Principles for a Welfare State: Fundamental Duties:

The Constitution incorpor-ated many provisions in the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act incorporated
Constitution to make India a Welfare State. Fundamental Duties in the Constitution for citizen to follow