UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF LEGAL

STUDIES (UILS)
B.A.LL.B-4th Sem- 5 years Programme
Subject Name: HISTORY- IV
Subject Code:21LBT-253

Dr.Kirat Grewal(Associate Prof.)

E10110
DISCOVER . LEARN . EMPOWER
 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

• Learning Objectives to be covered:

• To help the students identify the salient features of Charters of 1793,1813,1833,1853.
• To analyse the impact of said charters.

• Learning Outcomes to be achieved:

• The students will be able to identify the salient features of Charters of
1793,1813,1833,1853.

• They will be able to critically analyse the impact of said charters.

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Charters-1813;1833; 1853
Some Salient Features and Observations
Charter of 1813-Historical Backdrop

• The Charter Act of 1793 continued political privileges of the East India
Company and the company’s trade monopoly in India for another 20 years.
• The said Charter Act was passed without much opposition .
• However, circumstances changed.(Concept of Laissez Fairre)
• Due to Napoleon Bonaparte’s Continental System in Europe, British traders
and merchants suffered. So they demanded they be given a share in the
British trade in Asia and dissolve the monopoly of the East India Company.
• The company objected to this.
• Finally, British merchants were allowed to trade in India. But in trade with
China and the tea trade, the Company still retained its monopoly.
• This Act asserted the Crown’s sovereignty over British possessions in India.

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Charter act of 1 813 :Features

1.End of Company’s Trading Monopoly:

Charter act of 1813 ended the monopoly of the East India Company in India.
However, the company’s monopoly in trade with China and trade in tea with India
continued .
2. Extension of Company’s rule (to rule in the name of Her Majesty/British Crown)
Company’s Charter of political privileges was renewed for another 20 years.
3. Permission with regard to Entry of Christian Missionaries under system of licenses.
(Bishop at Calcutta)
4. Regulation of the company’s territorial revenues and commercial profits:
It was asked to keep its territorial and commercial accounts separate.
5. Provision that Company should invest Rs. 1 Lakh every year on the education of Indians.
6. Provision to empower the Local Governments in India to impose taxes subject to the
jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

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Charter Act of 1833-some observations
Introduction
The charter act of 1833 legalized the British colonization of India. It ended the activities of the East India
Company as a commercial body, it became a administrative body. It provided that the company’s territories
in India were held by government ‘in trust for His Majesty, His heirs and successors’.
Some Noteworthy Features:
1. Centralization of powers –Administrative, Legislative and Financial Powers
2. It made the Governor-General of Bengal as the Governor-General of India and vested in him all civil and
military powers. This made Lord William Bentinck the first Governor-General of India
3. This Act introduced ‘No Discrimination Clause’. It was stated that the Indians should not be debarred from
holding any place, office and employment under the Company. (remained on paper for long)
4. The Governor-General in Council had the authority to amend, repeal or alter any law in British Indian
territories .A Fourth member, a Law member was added to Governor-General’s Council ( Lord Macaulay).
5. Indian Law Commission was established to codify Indian laws. The first Law Commission had Lord
Macaulay as its chairman.
6. This act also directed the Governor General-in-Council to adopt measures to mitigate the state of slavery,
persisting in India.
7. It laid down regulation of establishment of Christian establishments in India and the number of Bishopries
raised to 3.

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Charter Act of 1853
•Features:
1.
The Charter Act of 1853 empowered the British East India Company to retain the territories and the
revenues in India in trust for the crown ‘till Parliament decides otherwise. ‘The renewal of political privileges
was not for any specified period. Unlike the previous Charter acts of 1793, 1813 and 1833 which renewed
the charter for 20 years.
2.
This Act was passed when Lord Dalhousie was the Governor-General of India.
•Governor-General’s office :
1.
It separated, for the first time, the legislative and executive functions of the Governor- General’s Council.
2.
It provided for addition of six new members called legislative councillors to the council {12 in total}..
3.
The Law member (fourth member) became a full member with the right to vote.
4.
The 12 members were – 1 Governor-General, 1 Commander-in-Chief, 4 members of the Governor-General’s
Council, 1 Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at Calcutta, 1 regular judge of the Supreme Court at Calcutta,
and 4 representative members drawn from company’s servants with at least 10 years tenure, appointed by
the local governments of Bengal, Bombay, Madras and North Western Provinces.
5.
It introduced an open competition system of selection and recruitment of civil servants. The covenanted civil
service was thus thrown open to the Indians also. Accordingly, the Macaulay Committee (the Committee on
the Indian Civil Service) was appointed in 1854.
6.
The number of Board of Directors was reduced from 24 to 18 out of which 6 people were to be nominated
by the British Crown.
7.
This act served as the foundation of the modern parliamentary form of government. The legislative wing of
the Governor-General’s Council acted as a parliament on the model of the British Parliament.

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References
• N.V. Paranjpe, Indian Legal and Constitutional History, Allahabad Law Agency,
Faridabad
•M.P. Jain, Constitutional History of India, Wadhwa and Company. New Delhi, 2006
•J.K Mittal, Legal and Constitutional History of India.
•D. N Kundra, A New History of Modern India.
•M.P Jain, An Outline of Indian Legal History of India,Wadhwa and Company, New
Delhi,2004
• Rama Jois , Legal and Constitutional History of India.
•S.C Tripathi, Indian Legal & Constitutional History.
•V.D. Kulshreshtha, Landmarks in Indian Legal and Constitutional History. 

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E-References
• https://www.insightsonindia.com/modern-indian-history/
political-policies/charter-acts-of-1784-1793-18131833-1853/
• https://iasshiksha.blog/2019/05/15/the-charter-act-of-1813-
1833-and-1853/
• http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/20342/1/Unit-
23.pdf
• http://14.139.60.114:8080/jspui/bitstream/
123456789/47558/8/008_Chapter%205%20%28113-
168%29.pdf

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Assessment
• What do you know about Charter Acts of 1813,1833 and 1853?
• Critically analyze the Charter Acts of 1813 and 1833.

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THANK YOU