Which of the following Government of India Acts or Indian Councils Acts brought the three separate presidencies (Madras, Bombay and Bengal) into a common system?
- ARegulating Act, 1773
- BIndian Councils Act, 1861
- CIndian Councils Act, 1892
- DGovernment of India Act, 1858
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: (b) Indian Councils Act, 1861
Explanation
The Indian Councils Act, 1861 brought the three presidencies into one system of law-making. It gave back to Bombay and Madras the power to make laws, which the Charter Act of 1833 had taken away, and so began the decentralisation of legislation. It also:
- added non-official members, some of them Indians, to the Governor-General's council when it met to make laws;
- gave legal force to Lord Canning's portfolio system, in which each member of the council ran a department.
The Regulating Act, 1773 had only put Bombay and Madras under the Governor-General of Bengal.