Consider the following statements regarding the British policy in Awadh immediately after its annexation in 1856:

Question

Consider the following statements regarding the British policy in Awadh immediately after its annexation in 1856:

1. The taluqdars were dispossessed of their estates but allowed to retain their arms and forts.

2. A Summary Revenue Settlement was made in 1856 assuming that the taluqdars were outsiders.

3. The British believed in taking revenue directly from the peasants by removing the taluqdars.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. A. 2 and 3 only (Correct answer)
2. B. 1 and 3 only
3. C. 1, 2 and 3
4. D. 2 only

Correct Answer

Option A — A

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Option A.

Key Points

• Explanation: Statement 2 is correct: the Summary Revenue Settlement of 1856 in Awadh proceeded on the assumption that the taluqdars were interlopers or outsiders with no permanent stake in the land, who had merely usurped rights by force.
• Statement 3 is correct: flowing from that assumption, the British held that revenue should be collected directly from the actual cultivators by removing the taluqdars as intermediaries.
• Why Statement 1 is wrong: The taluqdars were not allowed to retain their arms and forts.
• Their estates were confiscated, their forts were dismantled and they were disarmed — precisely the grievances that drove them into the Revolt of 1857.

Additional Information

• Awadh was annexed in 1856 by Lord Dalhousie on the ground of misgovernment.
• The dispossession of the taluqdars, and the disruption it caused to the peasantry beneath them, made Awadh one of the strongest centres of the 1857 Revolt.