GOVERNOR GENERALS IN INDIA

This rough draft is submitted in the partial fulfilment of project in Legal History.

Submitted to: Submitted by:

Dr Priya Darshini Aarya Gurjar,
(2801)
B.B.A.,LL.B (Hons.)

February,2023
Chanakya National Law University, Patna

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 INTRODUCTION
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-
General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the
monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian Independence in 1947, the representative of
the British monarch. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the
Presidency of Fort William. Complete authority over all of British territory in the Indian
subcontinent was granted in 1833, and the official came to be known as the "Governor-
General of India". In 1858, because of the Indian rebellion the previous year, the territories
and assets of the East India Company came under the direct control of the British crown; as a
consequence, the company rule in India was succeeded by the British Raj. The governor-
general (now also the Viceroy) headed the central government of India, which administered
the provinces of British India, including the Punjab, Bengal, Bombay, Madras, the United
Provinces, and others.

LITERATURE REVIEW

 In the book “From Plassey to Partition”, Sekhar Bandyopadhyay brilliantly explain

about the contributions of Lord Cornwallis as a Governor General.
 In the book “Outlines of Legal and Constitutional History”, MP Jain explains about
the working of Bentinck and Judicial Measures of Lord Cornwallis.
 In the book “History of Modern India”, Bipan Chandra explains the administrative
changes after 1858.
 In the book “History of India”, H.V. Sreenivasa Murthy and V.S. Elizabeth explain
about the Regulating Act of 1773.
 In the book “Modern India”, Sumit Sarkar explains the political and administrative
reforms under the Viceroyalty of Curzon.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
 To understand the role of Governor Generals in India.
 To study the contributions of some of the Governor Generals of India.

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RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What were the roles of Governor Generals?

2. What contributions and developments were made by Governor Generals in India?

HYPOTHESIS

The Governor Generals in India introduced various improvements and changes in the
administrative set up from time to time.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The scope of research is to study the about the Governor Generals in India. The limitation of
the research is that the researcher will be studying the contributions of some of these
Governor Generals in detail.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The researcher will be relying on Doctrinal method of research to complete the project. The
doctrinal method helps in doing a comparative study of the topic. These include various
primary and secondary sources of literature and insights.

MODE OF CITATION

The mode of citation used is Bluebook 20th Edition.

TENTATIVE CHAPTERISATION

 Introduction
 Role of Governor Generals in India
 Governor Generals of Bengal
 Governor Generals of India

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 The Viceroys
 Difference between the Viceroy and Governor General of India
 Conclusion
 Suggestions

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 From Plassey to Partition by Sekhar Bandyopadhyay

 Outlines of Legal and Constitutional History by MP Jain
 History of Modern India by Bipan Chandra
 History of India by H.V. Sreenivasa Murthy and V.S. Elizabeth
 Modern India by Sumit Sarkar

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