Pitts India Act was passed in August,1784 to rectify the defects of
Regulation Act of 1773. The purpose of the act was to bring public affairs of
the East India Company and its administration in India under the direct control
of British Government.
Here we will discuss about the features and provisions of Pitts India
Act of 1784, what is the constitutional importance of Pitts India
Act,1784? What were the defects of Pitts India Act, 1784?
What are the features and provisions of Pitts India Act of 1784 ?
The features and provisions of Pitts India Act of 1784 were:
1) The Pitts India Act of 1784 distinguished between the Commercial
affairs and political functions of the East India Company.
2) A system of "Double Government" was introduced in India as:
a) The commercial affairs of the East India Company were to be
controlled by the Court of Directors of the Company.
b) A new "Board of Control" was formed to
control the political functions of the Company. The Board of Control was to
comprise of 6 commissioners, including 2 cabinet ministers.
3) The function of Board of Control was to:
- Guide and control the work
of Court of Directors and Government of India.
- Supervise and control the
civil and military government and revenues of the British Possessions in
India.
4) A secret committee comprising of 3 Directors was established whose
responsibility was to take place of Court of Directors in the political and
military matters.
5) Pitts India Act of 1784 established the principle that placed the
Government of India under the Governor General and a council of 3 members, with
Governor General having a deciding vote in case of a tie.
6) The Governor General and the council of 3 members was
subordinate to the British Government.
7) The Pitts India Act of 1784 clearly stated that Presidency of Bengal
was superior to the presidencies of Bombay and Madras in all the matters of
revenue, war and diplomatic relations.
What is
the Constitutional Importance of Pitts India Act of 1784?
The
Constitutional Importance of Pitts India Act of 1784 was:
a) The
territories of East India Company in India were for the first time called
as "British Possessions in India".
b) The administration and affairs of the Company in India came under the control of British Government.
What is the importance of Pitts India Act,1784?
The Pitts India Act, 1784 is important because:
1) The Pitts India Act of 1784 helped in uniting India by giving
supreme powers to the Governor General over other Governors of Presidencies
and making Presidency of Bengal superior to the other presidencies of
Bombay and Madras.
2) The position of Governor General was strengthened by reducing 1
member from the Executive Council.
3) The Governor General and Governors of presidencies of Bombay and
Madras were given powers to override their councils which was often misused.
4) The possessions of East India Company in India came under the control
of British Parliament.
5) The Pitts India Act of 1784 laid the foundation of centralized
administration in India. The control of British Parliament over the East India
Company was tightened and finally through Government of India Act, 1858 the
crown took over the company.
What were the defects of Pitts India Act, 1784?
Pitts India Act, 1784 divided
authority and responsibility. The Governor General had two
masters - the Court of Directors and the Board of Control.
a) Because of the conflict between these two authorities, the view that
who will be the primacy or supreme emerged.
b) Cornwallis, the Governor General of Bengal tried to misuse his powers
to override the council and stretched his authority to the widest possible
limit, without letting the Home Government know about the actual state of
affairs in India. Thus Governor General was provided an opportunity to act
according to his discretion even on the matters of importance.
**The Act of 1786 provided Governor General
(Cornwallis) the powers to override the council in important matters such as
peace, safety and interest of Crown in India.
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