Following the suppression of the revolt of 1857, what major constitutional change was adopted via the Government of India Act, 18…

Question

Following the suppression of the revolt of 1857, what major constitutional change was adopted via the Government of India Act, 1858?

1. A. Indians were allotted an equal representation in the Indian Legislative Assembly, similar to the Britishers.
2. B. The post of Governor of Bengal was transformed to Governor General of India.
3. C. The power of the East India Company was abolished, and power was transferred to the British Crown. (Correct answer)
4. D. The Indian Executive Council was composed mainly of Indian leaders.

Correct Answer

Option C — The power of the East India Company was abolished, and power was transferred to the British Crown.

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is The power of the East India Company was abolished, and power was transferred to the British Crown.

Key Points

• The Government of India Act, 1858, also called the Act for the Better Government of India, was passed after the Revolt of 1857 and marked the beginning of direct Crown rule in India.
• Its principal provisions:
  • Abolished the East India Company and transferred its powers, territories and revenues to the British Crown.
  • Abolished the Court of Directors and the Board of Control, ending the system of double government created by Pitt's India Act of 1784.
  • Created the office of Secretary of State for India, a member of the British Cabinet, assisted by a 15-member Council of India.
  • Renamed the Governor-General as the Viceroy, the direct representative of the Crown; Lord Canning became the first Viceroy.

Additional Information

• Why the other options are wrong:
  • Option A — Indians received no legislative representation at all in 1858. The first nominated Indian members came with the Indian Councils Act, 1861, and elections only with the Act of 1892.
  • Option B — the transformation of the Governor of Bengal into the Governor-General of India occurred under the Charter Act of 1833, and the earlier designation of Governor-General of Bengal under the Regulating Act of 1773.
  • Option D — the Executive Council remained overwhelmingly British; Indians were not appointed to it in any significant number until the twentieth century.
• Queen Victoria's Proclamation (1 November 1858), read out at Allahabad by Lord Canning, promised religious non-interference, respect for the rights of Indian princes, and equal treatment of Indians in public appointments. The policy of annexation and the Doctrine of Lapse was abandoned.
• The sequence of constitutional development: Regulating Act 1773 → Pitt's India Act 1784 → Charter Acts of 1793, 1813, 1833, 1853 → Government of India Act 1858 → Indian Councils Acts 1861, 1892, 1909 → Government of India Acts 1919 and 1935 → Indian Independence Act 1947.