History 1. Ruel Of The English East India Company (a.d. 1773 - A.d. 1857)

He was the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and thereby the first de facto Governor-General of India from 1773 to 1785.

Sir Elijah Impey (13 June 1732 – 1 October 1809) was a British judge, the first chief justice of the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William in Bengal, Chief Justice of the Sadr Diwani Adalat and MP for New Romney.

The Regulating Act 1773 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain intended to overhaul the management of the East India Company's rule in India.

He was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore and India's first freedom fighter. He was the eldest son of Sultan Hyder Ali of Mysore.

Bengal

The Great Bengal Famine of 1770 was a famine between 1769 and 1773 that affected the lower Gangetic plain of India from Bihar to the Bengal region. The famine is estimated to have caused the deaths of up to 10 million people.

William Pitt, the Younger

The Great Bengal Famine of 1770 was a famine between 1769 and 1773 that affected the lower Gangetic plain of India from Bihar to the Bengal region. The famine is estimated to have caused the deaths of up to 10 million people.

Robert Clive

Dual Government means double system of administration. The system of Dual Government was introduced in Bengal by Robert Clive of British East India Company. IN this system, Diwani, the right to collect revenue was given to East India Company and Nizamat (administrative responsibility) was entrusted to Bengal Nawab.

Treaty of Mangalore

The Treaty of Mangalore was signed between Tipu Sultan and the British East India Company on 11 March 1784. It was signed in Mangalore and brought an end to the Second Anglo-Mysore War.

Nawab of Oudh → Shuja-ud-Daulah

Hyder Ali → Ruler of Mysore

Sardar Diwani Adalat → Civil Court

Raja Chait Singh → Ruler of Benaras

1. The British parliament passed the Regulating Act in 1773.

2. The Pitts India Act in 1784 removed defects of Regulating Act.

3. The Board of Trade was setup to buy quality goods.

The defects of Regulating Act were:

• The jurisdiction of the Supreme Court was not clearly defined.

• The power of members of Council and the Governor General was not defined.

• Also, this Act made the position of Governor General weak.

In 1769, Treaty of Madras was signed between Hyder Ali and British. In this treaty, both the groups agreed to support each other in case of invasion from the common enemy Marathas. When Marathas attacked Mysore, British did not help him and they invaded port Mahe which was important for Hyder Ali. Because of this Hyder Ali protested and declared war against English.

The Rohillas were Afghans who were frequently attacked by the Marathas. The Rohillas sought help from Nawab of Oudh Shuja-Ud-Daulah, who in return demanded Rs 40 lakhs for support. When the Marathas appeared at Rohilkhand, they saw Nawab’s forces behind Rohillas army. So, they began to flee and when Nawab demanded Rs 40 lakhs Rohillas Chief refused it. And, then Nawab gathered support from English and even promised them Rs 40 lakhs. The Nawab with English fought the Rohillas and annexed their territories to Oudh.

There were many reforms introduced by Warren Hastings:

• The Dual Government system introduced by Robert Clive was ended.

• Administration of provinces was now in the hands of East India Company.

• The English treasury was shifted Murshidabad to Calcutta.

• The two courts of appeal namely Sadar Diwani Adalat(Civil) and Sadar Nizamat Adalat(Criminal) was set up in Calcutta and each district.

• A digest of Hindu law and Muslim law was formed for the courts.

• A Board of Trade was setup to buy quality goods for the company.

• He reduced the customs by 2.5% for merchants to encourage the Indian trade.

• Many custom houses were abolished and only five were setup namely Calcutta, Dacca, Murshidabad, Patna and Hoogly.

• And, the Board of Revenue was formed in Calcutta to look into revenue administration.

• He himself being a patron of learning started a Calcutta Madrasa for promotion of Islamic Studies.

The features of the Regulating Act are:

• A Governor-General in Calcutta was appointed who was superior to Governors of Bombay and Madras.

• A Supreme Court was set up in Calcutta with a Chief Justice and three judges.

• To assist the Governor-General, an Executive council with four members was created.

The provisions by Pitts India Act to overcome defects are:

• The Governor-General was appointed by the approval of the British Crown.

• The Governor-General’s Council membership was reduced to three.

• For ease in administration, a Board of Control was established in Britain to monitor the Indian affairs.

• Also, the Governor-General was made the Commander-in-Chief and was given total control over Bombay and Madras presidencies.

• This Act helped the English gain control over the Company’s affairs.

Yes, the Regulating Act was the first step towards development of Indian Constitution because,

• It defined the rules and regulation to be followed in governing India.

• Its defects led to creation of another Act called Pitts India Act.

• This Act further defined and refined the British Legislation of India.

• Due to Regulating Act, the judicial reforms were undertaken by installing Supreme Court in Calcutta.

• Now, the British control over the Indian economy and the East India Company became firmer.

Do it yourself

The Bengal was afflicted with a terrible famine:

• The peasants, farmers and artisans led a life of poverty during these years.

• The Dual Government system initiated by Robert Clive in Bengal destroyed its economy.

• The employees of East India Company were misusing their privileges and amassed great wealth.

• The administrative control in the Bengal was crippled.

• So, the company had to borrow massive loan from Britain, leading to the intervention of the British government.