IASBA BA'S

RAPID REVISION (RaRe)

SERIES - UPSC 2021
RaRe Notes

DAY 1 - POLITY

#RaRebaba
www.rrs.iasbaba.com
 Day 01 IASBaba’s Rapid Revision Series (RaRe)

Topics Coverage:

Historical Background: Basics

COMPANY RULE (1773–1858)

1. Regulating Act
2. Pitt’s India Act
3. Charter Acts

CROWN RULE (1858–1947)

4. Government of India Act 1858
5. Indian Council Acts
6. Government of India Acts
7. Indian Independence Act
8. Objective Resolutions
9. Salient features borrowed from different Constitution
10. Schedules of the Constitution

www.iasbaba.com Contact: 91691 91888 1|Page

 Day 01 IASBaba’s Rapid Revision Series (RaRe)

Historical Background [Basics]

1600 British came to India and East India Company (EIC) had purely trading functions

1765 East India Company obtained 'diwani rights'

Shah Alam granted these rights after losing the Battle of Buxar against East India Company

1773 - 1858 Company Rule

1857 Revolt of 1857 or First War of Independence or the ‘sepoy mutiny’

1858 - 1947 Crown Rule

Try to remember 3 Acts under these two rules:

COMPANY RULE (1773–1858) CROWN RULE (1858–1947)

1. Regulating Act 1. Government of India Acts

2. Pitt’s India Act 2. Indian Council Acts

3. Charter Acts 3. Indian Independence Act

Topic 1: Regulating Act of 1773

Key points:
1. It was the first step taken by the British Government to control and regulate the affairs of the EIC in
India.
2. First time, British government recognised the political and administrative functions of the EIC.
3. British government laid the foundations of central administration in India.

Features of the Act:

1. The Act designated the Governor of Bengal as the ‘Governor-General of Bengal’ and created an
Executive Council of four members to assist him.
2. Governor of Bengal was made ‘Governor-General of Bengal’ and governors of Bombay and Madras
presidencies were made his subordinates.

www.iasbaba.com Contact: 91691 91888 2|Page

 Day 01 IASBaba’s Rapid Revision Series (RaRe)

3. The Act provided for establishment of the Supreme Court (1774).

4. The Act prohibited servants of EIC from engaging in any private trade or accepting bribes and gifts
from native.
5. The Court of Directors should report all affairs to British government.

Topic 2: Pitt’s India Act of 1784

Features of the Act:
1. The Act distinguished commercial and political functions of the EIC.
2. Court of Directors to look after commercial functions only and a new body, Board of Control (BOC)
will take care of political functions. (“system of double government”)
3. Company’s territories in India were for the first time called the ‘British possessions in India’
4. British Government was given the supreme control over Company’s affairs and its administration in
India.

Topic 3: Charter Acts

Features of Charter Act of 1833
1. This Act was the final step towards centralisation in British India.
2. It made the Governor-General of Bengal as the Governor-General of India and vested in him all civil
and military powers.
3. Thus, the act created, for the first time, a Government of India having authority over the entire
territorial area possessed by the British in India.
4. This Act ended all the activities of the East India Company as a commercial body.
5. Charter Act of 1833 attempted to introduce a system of open competition for selection of civil
servants (including Indians). However, this provision was negated.

Features of Charter Act of 1853

1. Legislative and executive functions of the Governor- General’s council were separated for the first
time.
2. It established a separate Governor-General’s legislative council which came to be known as the Indian
(Central) Legislative Council.
3. It introduced, for the first time, local representation in the Indian (Central) Legislative Council.

www.iasbaba.com Contact: 91691 91888 3|Page

 Day 01 IASBaba’s Rapid Revision Series (RaRe)

4. Introduced an open competition system of selection and recruitment of civil servants (open to
Indians also)
5. It extended the Company’s rule and allowed it to retain the possession of Indian territories on trust
for the British Crown.

Topic 4: Government of India Act of 1858 (or Act for the Good Government of India)
Features of the Act:
1. This Act abolished the East India Company, and transferred the powers of government, territories
and revenues to the British Crown.
2. The Company Rule was ended in 1858. The Crown Rule began.
3. The designation GGI was changed to Viceroy of India (VOI).
4. It ended the ‘system of double government’ and it created new office “Secretary of State for India”
(SOS).
5. It created a 15-member Council of India to assist the secretary of state (SOS).
6. It did not alter in any substantial way the system of government that prevailed in India.

Topic 5: Indian Councils Act of 1861, 1892 and 1909

Features of Indian Councils Act of 1861

1. This Act made a beginning of representative institutions -- it associated Indians with the law-making
process.
2. The Act provided that VOI should nominate some Indians as non-official members of his expanded
legislative council.
3. Process of decentralization was initiated: Legislative powers (legislative devolution) were restored
to Bombay and Madras Presidencies.
4. It thus reversed the centralising tendency that started from the Regulating Act of 1773.
5. It also provided for the establishment of new legislative councils for Bengal, North-Western Frontier
Province (NWFP) and Punjab
6. ‘Portfolio’ system was introduced by Lord Canning – i.e. Indian Councils Act (ICA) 1861 transformed
the VOI's executive council into a cabinet run on the portfolio system. Therefore, 6 members in the
executive council took charge of separate departments.

www.iasbaba.com Contact: 91691 91888 4|Page

 Day 01 IASBaba’s Rapid Revision Series (RaRe)

7. Ordinance making power: The Act empowered the VOI to make ordinance during an emergency.
However, the life of such an ordinance was 6 months.

Features of Indian Councils Act of 1892

1. Number of additional Indian (non-official) members in the Central and provincial legislative councils
were increased. However still the official majority were non-Indians.
2. Functions of legislative councils were increased and gave them the power of discussing the budget
and addressing questions to the executive.
3. Nomination made on the recommendation: Certain bodies like governors of provinces, Universities,
zamindars and chambers could now recommend Indians for the nomination of non-official members.
4. The act made a limited and indirect provision for the use of election in filling up some of the
nonofficial seats both in the Central and provincial legislative councils. However, the word “election”
was, not used in the act.

Features of Indian Councils Act of 1909: (Morley-Minto Reforms)

1. Increased the size of Legislative Councils (both central and provincial) from 16 to 60
2. It retained official majority in the Central Legislative Council but allowed the provincial legislative
councils to have Indian non-official majority.
3. Increased the functions of Legislative councils at both levels. Members were allowed to ask
supplementary questions, move resolutions on the budget, and so on.
4. It provided (for the first time) for the “association of Indians with the executive Councils” of the
Viceroy and Governors.
5. ICA 1909 introduced a system of communal representation for Muslims -- concept of ‘separate
electorate’.

(Lord Minto came to be known as the Father of the Communal Electorate.)

Topic 6: Government of India Act

Features of Government of India Act of 1919 (Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms)
1. Demarcation of separate central and provincial subjects: Central and provincial legislatures can
make laws on their respective list of subjects.

www.iasbaba.com Contact: 91691 91888 5|Page

 Day 01 IASBaba’s Rapid Revision Series (RaRe)

2. Transferred and Reserved Subjects: Provincial subjects were further divided into two parts -
transferred and reserved subjects.
o Transferred subjects were to be administered by the governor with the aid of ministers
responsible to the legislative Council
o Reserved subjects, on the other hand, were to be administered by the governor and his
executive council without being responsible to the legislative Council
3. Dyarchy or double rule: This dual scheme of governance was known as ‘dyarchy’ — which means
double rule.
4. Upper House and Lower House: First time, bicameralism and direct elections in the country were
introduced. (only at Centre)
5. Three of the six members of the Viceroy’s executive Council should be Indian.
6. Extended communal representation or separate electorate to Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians
and Europeans.
7. It granted franchise to a limited number of people on the basis of property, tax or education.
8. It created a new office of the High Commissioner for India in London and transferred to him some of
the functions hitherto performed by the Secretary of State for India.
9. It provided for the establishment of a public service commission (Hence, a Central Public Service
Commission was set up in 1926 for recruiting civil servants.)
10. It separated, for the first time, provincial budgets from the Central budget and authorised the
provincial legislatures to enact their budgets.
11. It provided for the appointment of a statutory commission to inquire into and report on its working
after ten years of its coming into force.

Features of Government of India Act of 1935

1. The Act intended to bring completely responsible government in India
2. It provided for the establishment of an All-India Federation consisting of provinces and princely
states as units. (However, the federation never came into being as the princely states did not join
it.)
3. Act divided powers – Central list, Provincial list and Concurrent list; Residue powers to Governor
4. Abolished ‘dyarchy’ in the provinces and introduced ‘provincial autonomy’ in its place.
5. Act introduced responsible governments in provinces (i.e. governor was required to act with the
advice of ministers responsible to the provincial legislature) – was in operation only from 1937-1939
www.iasbaba.com Contact: 91691 91888 6|Page
 Day 01 IASBaba’s Rapid Revision Series (RaRe)

6. It provided for the adoption of dyarchy at the Centre à i.e. Federal subjects be divided into
‘transferred’ and ‘reserved’ – But this also never came into operation
7. It introduced bicameralism in six out of eleven provinces.
8. Extended separate electorates for depressed classes (scheduled castes), women and labour
(workers)
9. Abolished the Council of India (which was estd in GOI, 1958 to assist SOS). SOS was provided with
team of advisors
10. Establishment of a Reserve Bank of India to control the currency and credit of the country
11. Federal PSC + Provincial PSC (on lines of UPSC + SPSC)
12. Establishment of a Federal Court (in 1937)

Topic 7: Indian Independence Act of 1947

Features of the Act:

1. It ended the British rule in India and declared India as an independent and sovereign state from
August 15,1947
2. It provided for the partition of India
3. It abolished the office of viceroy and SOS. British government will have no responsibility with respect
to the Government of India or Pakistan.
4. It empowered the Constituent Assembly to frame and adopt the Constitution and to repeal any act
of the British Parliament, including the Independence act itself.
5. It proclaimed the lapse of British paramountcy over the Indian princely states and treaty relations
with tribal areas from August 15,1947.
6. It granted freedom to the Indian princely states either to join the Dominion of India or Dominion
of Pakistan or to remain independent.
7. It designated the Governor-General of India and the provincial governors as constitutional (nominal)
heads of the states. They were made to act on the advice of the respective council of ministers in all
matters.

Topic 8: Objective Resolutions:

• It was moved by J. Nehru in 1946.

www.iasbaba.com Contact: 91691 91888 7|Page
 Day 01 IASBaba’s Rapid Revision Series (RaRe)

• It defined the aims of the Constituent Assembly

• This resolution encapsulated the aspirations and values behind the Constitution.
• Based on this resolution, our Constitution gave institutional expression to these fundamental
commitments: equality, liberty, democracy, sovereignty and a cosmopolitan identity.
• The Preamble to the Indian Constitution is based on the ‘Objectives Resolution’, drafted and moved
by Pandit Nehru, and adopted by the Constituent Assembly.

Topic 9: Salient features borrowed from different Constitution:

The Constitution of India has several salient features that are borrowed from the constitutions of other
countries.

www.iasbaba.com Contact: 91691 91888 8|Page

 Day 01 IASBaba’s Rapid Revision Series (RaRe)

Topic 10: Schedules of the Constitution

Followings are the schedules in Constitution of India

First • Names of the States and their territorial jurisdiction.

Schedule • Names of the Union Territories and their extent.

Second • Salary and allowances of President, Governors, Speakers and Chairman,

Schedule Judges of Supreme Court and High Court, Comptroller and Auditor
General

Third • Forms of Oaths or Affirmations

Schedule

Fourth • Allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha to the states and the union
Schedule territories.

Fifth • Administration and control of scheduled areas and tribes

Schedule

Sixth • Provisions relating to the administration of tribal areas in the states of

Schedule Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram

Seventh • Division of powers

Schedule o Union List (for central Govt) 97 Subjects.
o States List (for State Govt) 59 subjects
o Concurrent List (for both Union and States) 52 subjects.

www.iasbaba.com Contact: 91691 91888 9|Page

Day 01 IASBaba’s Rapid Revision Series (RaRe)

Eighth • List of 22 languages of India recognized by Constitution

Schedule
They are:
1. Assamese,
2. Bengali,
3. Bodo,
4. Dogri (Dongri),
5. Gujarati,
6. Hindi,
7. Kannada,
8. Kashmiri,
9. Konkani,
10. Mathili (Maithili),
11. Malayalam,
12. Manipuri,
13. Marathi,
14. Nepali,
15. Odia,
16. Punjabi,
17. Sanskrit,
18. Santhali,
19. Sindhi,
20. Tamil,
21. Telugu and
22. Urdu.

Sindhi was added by the 21st Amendment Act of 1967;

Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were added by the 71st Amendment Act of 1992;
and

www.iasbaba.com Contact: 91691 91888 10 |

Page
Day 01 IASBaba’s Rapid Revision Series (RaRe)

Bodo, Dongri, Maithili and Santhali were added by the 92nd Amendment Act of
2003.

Oriya was renamed as ‘Odia’ by the 96th Amendment Act of 2011.

Ninth • Contains Acts and Regulations dealing with land reforms and abolition of
Schedule the zamindari system.
• This schedule was added by the 1st Amendment (1951) to protect the
laws included in it from judicial scrutiny on the ground of violation of
fundamental rights.
• However, in 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that the laws included in this
schedule are now open to judicial review.

Tenth • Added by 52nd amendment in 1985. Contains provisions of

Schedule disqualification of grounds of defection

Eleventh • By 73rd amendment in 1992. Contains provisions of Panchayati Raj.

Schedule

Twelfth • By 74th amendment in 1992. Contains provisions of Municipal

Schedule Corporation.

www.iasbaba.com Contact: 91691 91888 11 |

Page