The Government of India Act 1858 reshaped colonial administration after the 1857 revolt, transferring authority from the East India Company to the British Crown.
BulletsIn
- The Government of India Act 1858 was enacted by the British Parliament after the Indian uprising of 1857 to restructure governance and strengthen direct imperial control.
- The legislation abolished the rule of the East India Company, transferring all administrative authority and territorial control of India to the British Crown.
- The Governor General of India was redesignated as the Viceroy, serving as the official representative of the British monarch in governing colonial India.
- Lord Canning became the first Viceroy of India, marking the beginning of direct British Crown administration following the end of company rule.
- The act abolished the Board of Control and Court of Directors, thereby ending the system of dual administration established under Pitt’s India Act.
- A new position called the Secretary of State for India was created in the British Cabinet, responsible for Indian affairs and accountable to Parliament.
- A fifteen-member Council of India was established to assist the Secretary of State, functioning primarily as an advisory body on administrative and policy matters.
- The Secretary of State in Council was recognised as a corporate body capable of legal action in both India and Britain, strengthening administrative authority.




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