KERALA PSC / CONSTITUTION / THE LANDMARKS OF THE CONSTITUTION / NOTES

 

KERALA PSC / CONSTITUTION / THE LANDMARKS OF THE CONSTITUTION / NOTES

KERALA PSC / CONSTITUTION / THE LANDMARKS OF THE CONSTITUTION / NOTES

 

REGULATING ACT, 1773

 

·       This was the first step taken by the British Government to control and regulate the affairs of the East India Company in India

·       Governor of Bengal became Governor General for all British territories in India

·       The first Governor-General was Lord Warren Hastings

·       It subordinated the Governors of Bombay and Madras to the Governor-General of Bengal

·       The Supreme Court was established at Fort William (Calcutta) as the Apex Court in 1774

 

PITT’S INDIA ACT, 1784

 

·       It was introduced to remove the drawbacks of the Regulating Act

·       Was named after the then British Prime Minister

·       Placed the Indian affairs under the direct control of the British Government

·       Established a Board of Control over the Court of Directors

 

CHARTER ACT 1793

 

·       Company given monopoly of trade for 20 more years

·       Expenses and salaries of the board of control to be charged on Indian Revenue

·       Governor General could override his council

 

CHARTER ACT, 1813

 

·       Monopoly of Company’s trade abolished except trade in tea and trade with China

·       One way free trade was imposed on India

·       An annual sum of Rs.One Lakh earmarked for education

 

CHARTER ACT, 1833

·       It made the Governor-General of Bengal as the Governor-General of India

·       First Governor-General of India was Lord William Bentick

·       All civil and military powers were vested in him

·       Inclusion of a Law member in the council of Governor General (Macaulay-first law member)

·       Governments of Bombay and Madras were deprived of their legislative powers

·       This was the final step towards centralization in the British India

·       The Act ended the activities of the East India Company as a commercial body. Company’s monopoly of trade was completely abolished.

 

CHARTER ACT, 1853

·       The legislative and executive functions of the Governor-General’s Council were separated

·       Recruitment of civil servants was based on open annual competitive examination

 

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ACT, 1858

 

·       The rule of Company was replaced by the rule of the Crown in India

·       The powers of the British Crown were to be exercised by the Secretary of State for India

·       The Secretary of State was a member of the British Cabinet

·       He was assisted by the Council of India, having 15 members

·       This act was declared to be an act of “good government” for India

·       Secretary of state governed India through the Governor-General as his agent.

·       The Governor-General was made the Viceroy of India

·       Lord Canning was the first Viceroy of India

 

INDIAN COUNCILS ACT, 1861

 

·       It introduced for the first time the representative institutions of India

·       It provided that the Governor-General’s Executive Council should have some Indians as the non-official members while transacting the legislative businesses

·       Initiated the process of decentralization by restoring the legislative powers to the Bombay and the Madras Presidencies

·       It accorded the statutory recognition to the Portfolio system

 

INDIAN COUNCILS ACT, 1892

·       Introduced the principle of elections, but in an indirect manner

·       Enlarged the functions of the Legislative Councils and gave them the power of discussing the Budget and addressing questions to the Executive

 

INDIAN COUNCILS ACT, 1909

·       This Act is also known as the Morley-Minto Reforms (Lord Morley was the then Secretary of State for India and Lord Minto was the then Governor-General of India)

·       Introduction of an element of direct elections to the Legislative Councils

·       The act provided the so called ‘Representative Govt’ in India

·       It changed the name of the Central Legislative Council to the Imperial Legislative Council

·       Introduced a system of communal representation for Muslims by accepting the concept of ‘Separate Electorate’. (Communal Electorate)

 

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ACT, 1919

·       This Act is also known as the Montague Chelmsford Reforms

·       Montague was the then Secretary of State and Lord Chelmsford was the then Governor General of India

·       The act was meant to provide “Responsible Government” in India

·       The Central subjects were demarcated and separated from those of the Provincial subjects

·       The scheme of dual governance, ‘Dyarchy’, was introduced in the Provinces

·       Division of Provincial subjects into Reserved subjects (like police, jails, land revenue, irrigation, forests etc to be administered by the Governor and his Executive Council) and Transferred subjects (like education, local self Government, public health and sanitation, agriculture, industries to be looked after by the governor and his ministers)

·       The Act introduced, for the first time, bicameralism and direct elections in the country

·       The Act also required that the three of the six members of the Governor-General’s Council (other than the Commander-in-Chief) were to be Indians.

 

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ACT, 1935

 

·       The Act provided for the establishment of an “All-India Federation” consisting of the Provinces and the princely States as the units

·       The Act divided the powers between the Centre and the Units in terms of three lists, namely the Federal List, the Provincial List and the Concurrent List.

·       The Federal List for the Centre consisted of 59 items, the Provincial List for the Provinces consisted of 54 items and the Concurrent List for both consisted of 36 items

·       The residuary powers were vested with the Governor-General

·       The Act abolished the Dyarchy in the Provinces and introduced ‘Provincial Autonomy’.

·       It provided for the adoption of Dyarchy at the Centre

·       Introduced bicameralism in 6 out of 11 Provinces

·       These six Provinces were Assam, Bengal, Bombay, Bihar, Madras and the United Province

 

INDIAN INDEPENDENCE ACT OF 1947

 

·       Till 1947, the Government of India functioned under the provisions of the 1919 Act only, the provisions of 1935 Act relating to Federation and Dyarchy were never implemented

·       The Executive Council provided by the 1919 Act continued to advice the Governor General till 1947

·       It declared India as an Independent and Sovereign State

·       Established responsible Governments at both the Centre and the Provinces

·       Designated the Governor-General of India and the Provincial Governors as the Constitutional Heads (nominal heads)

·       It assigned dual functions (Constitutional and Legislative) to the Constituent Assembly and declared this dominion legislature as a sovereign body

·       Two Dominions were constituted-India and Pakistan

·       The King would appoint a Governor General for each Dominion

 

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