Pitt's India Act

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The Pitt's India Act , named after the British Prime Minister at the time, William Pitt , is a law passed by the British Parliament in 1784 that placed the administration of the British East India Company under the British government. It had become necessary to address the shortcomings resulting from the East India Company Act ( aka Regulating Act ) of 1773. The Pitt's India Act created the conditions for the creation of a supervisory authority and coordination of the trading company and the crown.

background

In 1773 the British East India Company got into financial difficulties and sought help from the British government. In the face of corruption and nepotism among the representatives of the trading company in India, the British government passed the Regulatory Act in 1773 to control the activities of the British East India Company. The law created a system that controlled and regulated the activities of the British East India Company without exercising power. However, within a few years it cemented certain deficiencies until the British government decided to take a more active role in the affairs of the company.

The India Act (1784)

The constitution of a six-member control authority, which consisted of two members of the British Cabinet and four members of the Privy Council . The authority was under a President who soon became the de facto Minister of the British East India Company. She had authority and control over all laws and procedures relating to the civil, military and economic affairs of the Company. The company's governing council was reduced to three members, while the governor general was given the right of veto . The governors of Bombay and Madras were deprived of their independence. Bengal was given more power in war, economic and political affairs, so that it gradually rose to become the administrative capital of company possessions in India. By an amendment to law in 1786, Lord Cornwallis was appointed second Governor General and later the de facto ruler of British India under the power of the Control Authority and the General Assembly.

literature

  • Nilakanta Sastri, Advanced History of India, Allied Publishers Ltd, New Delhi
  • The Pitt's Act