Miscellaneous
Reforms / Acts / Committee
Committee
Committees/Commission during British Rule
The Details of few important Commissions during the British Rule are as follows:
| Committees/Commission | Year | Governor General/Viceroy | Subjects of the Committees/ Commissions | Terms of Reference and Recommendations |
| Charles Wood Despatch | 1854 | Lord Dalhousie | Education | · According to the recommendations, it was declared that the aim of the Government’s policy was the promotion of western education. In his despatch, he emphasized on the education of art, science, philosophy and literature of Europe. · According to the despatch, for higher education, the chief medium of instruction would be English · However, the significance of the vernacular language was no less emphasized as Wood believed that through the mediums of vernacular language, European knowledge could reach to the masses. · Further, Wood’s Despatch recommended a system of grants-in-aid to encourage and foster the private enterprise in the field of education. |
| Hunter Commission | 1882 | Lord Ripon | Education | · This was to look into the complaints of the non-implementation of the Wood’s Despatch of 1854; the contemporary status of elementary education in the British territories; and suggests means by which this can be extended and improved. · It recommended two types of education arrangements at the high school level, in which emphasis should be given on giving a vocational and business education and other such literary education should be given, which will help in admission to the university. · It welcomed Private efforts in the field of education, but primary education should be given without him. |
| Raleigh Commission | 1902 | Lord Curzon | Education | · Objective was to inquire into the condition and prospects of universities in India and to recommend proposals for improving their constitution and working. · As a result of the report of the recommendations of the Commission the Indian Universities Act was passed in 1904. · The commission resulted in following changes: · Universities were empowered to appoint their own staff including the teaching staff. · The Governor-General was now empowered to decide a University’s territorial limits and also affiliation between the universities and colleges. · After the implementation of the provisions of the University Act, the number of colleges declined, but the number of students increased considerably. |
| Sadler Commission | 1917 | Lord Chelmsford | Education | · Sadler Commission was appointed to inquire into the “conditions and prospects of the University of Calcutta” · Covering a wide field, the commission recommended the formation of a board with full powers to control secondary and intermediate education. · Further, it recommended that Universities should be freed from excessive official control. Also, it recommended that, the Government interference in the academic matters of universities should stop. |
| Hartog Commission | 1929 | Lord Irwin | Education | · This Committee was appointed to survey the growth of education in British India. · It “devoted far more attention to mass education than Secondary and University Education”. · The committee was not satisfied with the scanty growth of literacy in the country and highlighted the problem of ‘Wastage’ and ‘Stagnation’ at the primary level. · Its recommendations include: · Adoption of the policy of consolidation in place of multiplication of schools · Fixation of the duration of primary course to four years · Improvement in the quality, training, status, pay, service condition of teachers · Relating the curricula and methods of teaching to the conditions of villages in which children live and read · Adjustment of school hours and holidays to seasonal and local requirements · Increasing the number of Government inspection staff |
| Sargent Plan | 1944 | Lord Wavell | Education | · The object of the plan was to create in India in a period of not less than forty years, the same standard of educational attainments as had already been admitted in England · It provided for: · Pre-Primary Education between 3 and 6 Years of Age · Primary education should be universal, free and compulsory for the age-group 6 to 14. · High School Education should on no account be considered simply as a preliminary to University education, but as a stage complete in itself. · The proposed High Schools should be of two main types the Academic and the Technical · It raised the standards for University Education. · It also proposed for Adult education, to make every possible member of a state an effective and efficient citizen. · The Sargent Report assumes that one teacher will be required for every 30 pupils in Junior Basic Schools, for every 25 pupils in Senior Basic Schools and for every 20 pupils in High Schools · It even provided for Health education, Education for Specially abled, Employment Bureaus, Departments of Education, and Financial implication of such a scheme. |
| Campbell Commission | 1866 | Sir John Lawrence | Famine | · The British Government appointed this Commission to investigate the causes of Famine in Odisha, and suggest ways to prevent its recurrence. · It blamed the government machinery for tragedy and suggested relief measures. |
| Stratchy Commission | 1880 | Lord Lytton | Famine | · The Campbell Commission report was not taken seriously, and hence the British Government appointed this commission, which made following recommendations: · A Famine Code should be formulated · Irrigation facilities should be developed · Collection of Land Revenue should be suspended immediately, during famines and land revenue should be remitted · Data should be collected about the conditions of Indian peasantry and agriculture · A Famine fund should be set up. |
| Lyall Commission | 1886 | Lord d Elgin-II | Famine | · This commission recommended the development of irrigation facilities. |
| MacDonnell Commission | 1900 | Lord Curzon | Famine | · This was set up to re-evaluate and recommend changes in report of the previous commission, based on the findings of the recent famine. · This Commission recommended that the official machinery dealing with a famine must work around the year so that the scarcity of food grains could be controlled well in time. |
Other Committees of importance include:
| Committees/Commission | Year | Governor General/Viceroy | Subjects of the Committees/ Commissions |
| Mansfield Commission | 1886 | Lord Dufferin | Currency |
| Fowler Commission | 1898 | Lord Elgin-II | Currency |
| Scott-Moncrieff Commission | 1901 | Lord Curzon | Irrigation |
| Fraser Commission | 1902 | Lord Curzon | Police Reforms |
| Babington Smith Commission | 1919 | Lord Chelmsford | Currency |
| Hunter Committee Report | 1919 | Lord Chelmsford | Punjab Disturbances |
| Muddiman Committee | 1924 | Lord Reading | To examine the working of Diarchy of the Montague-Chelmsford reforms |
| Butler Commission | 1927 | Lord Irwin | Indian States relation with British Crown |
| Whitley Commission | 1929 | Lord Irwin | Labour |
| Simon Commission | 1928 | Lord Irwin | To investigate the progress of the Governance scheme and suggest new steps for reforms. |
| Sapru Commission | 1935 | Lord Linlithgow | Unemployment |
| Hilton young Commission | 1939 | Lord Linlithgow | Currency |
| Chatfield Commission | 1939 | Lord Linlithgow | Army |
| FIoud Commission | 1940 | Lord Linlithgow | Tenancy in Bengal |
Reforms
- The Regulating Act, 1773
- The British Parliament passed its first important Act in 1773 called the Regulating Act to control the Company’s Administration.
- The Act made changes in the constitution of the Company at home; the whole of the territories in India were subjected to some degree of control.
- Changes were made in the Constitution of the Court of Directors of the Company. It was required that it should submit to the Government all communications about civil and military affairs received from Bengal and revenues of India.
- In the field of executive government, the status of Governor of Bengal was raised to Governor General. His Council would consist of four members.
- The Governor General in Council was given the power to superintend and control the presidencies of Madras and Bombay in matters of war and peace.
- The Act also provided for the establishment of a Supreme Court of Justice at Calcutta to give justice to Europeans, their employees and citizens of Calcutta
- Legislative powers were granted to the Governor General and Council to make rules, ordinances and regulations for the civil government of Fort William and subordinate factories.
- Evaluation of the Act
- The Regulating Act did not work smoothly in practice.
- Its defects and weaknesses were exposed when it was put to working.
- Supervision of the British government was ineffective.
- The Governor General had to face the opposition of his council, who united against him.
- Disunity of the Council prevented it from solving external and internal problems of a serious nature.
- They had to often face deadlocks which impeded smooth working of the administration.
- PITT’S INDIA ACT, 1784
- It allowed the Court of Directors to manage the commercial affairs, but created a new body called Board of Control to manage the political affairs. Thus, it established a system of double government.
- The Governor General and council were made subordinate to British Government.
- They were forbidden to declare war and enter into any treaty without the sanction of the directors or the secret committee
- Evaluation of the Act
- By reducing one member of the Executive Council of the Governor General, his position was
- The possessions of the Company in India came under the supremacy of the British Parliament.
- The Act laid the foundation of a centralised administration-a process which reached its climax towards the close of the nineteenth century.
- However, the act divided authority and responsibility.
- The Governor General had two masters, the Court of Directors and the Board of Control. Out of this conflict of authority emerged the view of the primacy of the man on the spot
- Charter Act of 1793
- The Charter of the Company was renewed for 20 years and it was declared that it would be allowed to continue with the possession of all territories for the next 20 years.
- The Governor General’s and Governors’ powers to overrule their council were emphasised and explained
- A regular code of all regulations that could be enacted for the internal Government of the British territory in Bengal was framed.
- The Regulation applied to the rights, persons and property of the Indian people and it bound the Courts to regulate their decisions by the rules and regulations contained therein.
- Evaluation of the Act
- The Act of 1793 thus laid the foundation of government by written laws and regulations in British lndia in place of the personal rule of the past rulers.
- The concepts of a civil law enacted by a secular human agency and applied universally, was an important change.
- Charter Act of 1813
- The Act of 1813 renewed the Company’s Charter for 20 years, but it asserted the sovereignty of the British Crown over the lndian territories held by the Company.
- The Company was deprived of its monopoly of trade with India.
- It was allowed to continue with its monopoly of trade with China for 20 years. The lndian trade was thrown open to all British merchants.
- Charter Act of 1833
- The Act of 1833 was a great landmark in the constitutional history on India
- The monopoly of tea trade with China was abolished.
- The Company was to have only political functions. lndia was to pay the Company’s debts.
- The lndian possessions of the Company were to be held in trust for the British Crown.
- Governor General of Bengal became the Governor General of India, and the act vested in him all civil and military powers. William Bentick was the first governor-general of India
- The Governor General in Council was to control, superintend and direct the civil and military affairs of the Company.
- By the Act of 1833, the Governor General in Council were given the power to legislate for the whole of the British territories in India
- The Act provided for the codification of laws in India.
- By this Act the Governor General was empowered to appoint the Law Commission to study, collect and codify various rules and regulations prevalent in India. The lndian Penal Code and Codes of Civil and Criminal Law were enacted by the efforts of lndian Law Commission.
- Charter Act of 1853
- This was the last of the series of Charter Acts passed by the British Parliament between 1793 and 1853
- It separated, for the first time, the legislative and executive functions of the Governor-General’s council.
- It provided for addition of six new members called legislative councillors to the council. In other words, it established a separate Governor-General’s legislative council which came to be known as the Indian (Central) Legislative Council.
- It introduced an open competition system of selection and recruitment of civil servants.
- The covenanted civil service was thus thrown open to the Indians also.
- Accordingly, the Macaulay Committee (the Committee on the Indian Civil Service) was appointed in 1854.
- It introduced, for the first time, local representation in the Indian (Central) Legislative Council.
- Of the six new legislative members of the governor general’s council, four members were appointed by the local (provincial) governments of Madras, Bombay, Bengal and Agra.
- It introduced an open competition system of selection and recruitment of civil servants.
- GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ACT. 1858
- The act known as the Act for the Good Government of India, abolished the East India Company, and transferred the powers of government, territories and revenues to the British Crown.
- It provided that India henceforth was to be governed by, and in the name of, Her Majesty. It changed the designation of the Governor-General of India to that of Viceroy of India
- Lord Canning thus became the first Viceroy of India.
- The Board of control and court of Directors were abolished. Their place was taken by the Secretary of State of lndia and his Council. They were to govern lndia in the name of her majesty.
- The Act created an lndia council of fifteen members. It was to advise the Secretary of State who could overrule its decisions.
- The council was an advisory body. The secretary of state was made the chairman of the council
- Evaluation
- The Act of 1858 was, however, largely confined to the improvement of the administrative machinery by which the Indian Government was to be supervised and controlled in England.
- It did not alter in any substantial way the system of government that prevailed in India.
Congress Sessions
The Details of the noteworthy Congress Sessions are as follows:
| Session | Place | Date | President | Details |
| 1st Session | Bombay | Dec. 28-30, 1885 | Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee | · 72 social reformers, journalists and lawyers congregated for the first session of Indian National Congress at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay. |
| 2nd Session | Calcutta | Dec. 27-30, 1886 | Shri Dadabhai Naoroji | · The number of delegates had increased to 434. · Towards the end of the session, the Congress decided to set up Provincial Congress Committees across the country. |
| 3rd Session | Madras | Dec. 27-30, 1887 | Badruddin Tyabji | · An appeal made to Muslims to join hands with other national leaders |
| 6th Session | Calcutta | Dec. 26-30, 1890 | Pherozeshah Mehta | · In his presidential address, Pherozeshah Mehta said ‘To my mind, a Parsi is a better and a truer Parsi, as a Mohammedan or a Hindu is a better and truer Mohammedan or Hindu, the more he is attached to the land which gave him birth, the more he is bound in brotherly relations and affection to all the children of the soil, the more he recognises the fraternity of all the native communities of the country”. |
| 8th Session | Allahabad | Dec. 28-30, 1892 | Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee | · The Congress criticised the Indian Councils Act of 1892, which had just been put into operation by the colonial government. · They said that the Act did not give the Indian people the right to elect their own representatives. |
| 11th Session | Pune | Dec. 27-30, 1895 | Surendranath Banerjea | · The Congress at its Eleventh Session was buoyed by a substantial increase in the number of delegates from 1163 in 1894 to 1584. · The President congratulated the Congress for bringing together ‘the scattered element of a vast and diversified population’, and making them vibrate with the new born sentiment of an awakened nationality. |
| 12th Session | Calcutta | Dec. 28-31, 1896 | Rahimatullah M. Sayani | · National song ‘Vande Mataram’ was sung for the first time · Also, the Drain theory got a stamp of approval and the British were held responsible for the ‘drain of wealth’ from India which led to frequent famines and growing poverty in India. · Further, the Congress passed a resolution blaming the British for the famine that had devastated many parts of India. · They condemned the provisions of the existing famine code as being ‘inadequate’ and attacked the government for the manner in which it was blocking private relief. |
| 13th Session | Amaravati | Dec. 27-29, 1897 | C. Sankaran Nair | · The shadow of Bal Gangadhar Tilak arrest on charges of sedition, loomed large over the Amaravati Session. · Surendranath Banerjea made use of his oratorical skills while voicing his solidarity with Tilak |
| 15th Session | Lucknow | Dec. 27-29, 1899 | Romesh Chunder Dutt | · The Congress demanded that the British government put a stop to the ‘drain of wealth’ from India to England that had been taking place as a result of colonial rule. · By raising this matter, Congress attacked a concept that formed the very basis of colonialism. · It is no coincidence that Congress raised this under the presidentship of R.C. Dutt, who along with Dadabhai Naoroji, had been consistently criticising the British for the drain of wealth. |
| 17th Session | Calcutta | Dec. 26-28, 1901 | Dinshaw Eduljee Wacha | · The 1901 Calcutta Session was the first time Mahatma Gandhi appeared on the Congress platform. · Gandhi ji urged the Congress to support the struggle against racial discrimination and exploitation in the country. |
| 21st Session | Banaras | Dec. 27-30, 1905 | Gopal Krishna Gokhale | · Resentment was shown against the partition of Bengal |
| 22nd Session | Calcutta | Dec. 26-29, 1906 | Shri Dadabhai Naoroji | · To counter the increasing influence of the extremists, the moderates invited Dadabhai Naoroji to come from England to preside over the session. · However, the vocabulary of the extremists triumphed in a way as Naoroji declared Swaraj as the ‘only and chief remedy’ in self government lies our hope, strength and greatness, he said. |
| 23rd Session (Suspended) | Surat | Dec. 26-27, 1907 | Rash Behari Ghosh | · The ‘Surat Split’- Party splits into extremists and moderates |
| 24th Session | Lahore | Dec. 27-29, 1909 | Madan Mohan Malaviya | · Disapproval was expressed over the separate electorates on basis of religion as given in Indian Councils Act, 1909. |
| 25th Session | Allahabad | Dec. 26-29, 1910 | Sir William Wedderburn | · Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who was then a 44-year-old barrister and firmly with the Congress, decried the colonial government’s decision to introduce separate electorates for Hindus and Muslims in municipalities and local bodies. · He stated that this would disturb the amicable relations between the two communities. It is ironic that Jinnah became the main champion of a separate Muslim state two and a half decades later. |
| 26th Session | Calcutta | Dec. 26-28, 1911 | Bishan Narayan Dar | · The Congress at its Calcutta Session in 1911, congratulated Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian community in Transvaal on the repeal of the South African province’s anti-Asiatic legislation |
| 30th Session | Bombay | Dec. 27-29, 1915 | Satyendra Prasanna Sinha | · The biggest achievement of the 1915 Bombay Session was that the constitution of the Congress was suitably altered so as to admit the delegates from the extremist section. · Tilak responded by announcing the willingness of his supporters to re-enter the Congress. · As a result the number of delegates rose to 2259 from 866 a year back. |
| 31st Session | Lucknow | Dec. 26-30, 1916 | Ambica Charan Mazumdar | · The 1916 Lucknow Session represented the unification of the moderates and extremists within the Congress but also the closing of ranks between the Congress and the All India Muslim League. |
| 32nd Session | Calcutta | Dec. 26-29, 1917 | Annie Besant | · The Congress got its first woman President at the Calcutta Session in 1917: Annie Besant. |
| (Special Session) | Bombay | Aug. 29-01, 1918 | Romesh Chunder Dutt | · The Congress, at the Special Session in Bombay, termed the Montague-Chelmsford reforms as disappointing. · It demanded a Declaration of Rights for the people of India and asserted that Indian legislatures should have the same measure of Fiscal Autonomy as the Self-governing Dominions of the Empire. |
| 34th Session | Amritsar | Dec. 26-30, 1919 | Motilal Nehru | · The Congress expressed its deep solidarity with the people killed in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in the city earlier that year. · Under the presidentship of Motilal Nehru, the Congress condemned the massacre in the strongest of terms. |
| 35th Session | Nagpur | Dec. 26-30, 1920 | C. Vijayaraghavachariar | · In this session, the Congress sought to intensify the Non-Cooperation Movement. · It urged merchants to boycott any foreign trade relations and urged government servants to help the national cause. · The importance of using non-violent means was reiterated. · The party also made certain important organisational changes. · The strength of the A I. C. C. increased to 350 and a Working Committee of 15 members was constituted. |
| 36th Session | Ahmedabad | Dec. 27-28, 1921 | Hakim Ajmal Khan (Acting President for C.R. Das) | · Hakim Ajmal Khan was unanimously elected to preside over the Session in the absence of C.R. Das, who was in jail. · Gandhiji was appointed as the sole executive authority of the Congress and invested with full powers of the AICC. · Chairs and benches for delegates were eliminated and Khadi tents made their appearance for first time. |
| 37th Session | Gaya | Dec. 26-31, 1922 | Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das | · In this session, Congress leaders debated on the merits and demerits of continuing its boycott of the government-created councils. · While the ‘no-changers’ led by C Rajagopalachari and those loyal, suggested to Gandhiji advocated continuing the boycott, the Swarajists led by C.R. Das suggesting participating in the councils. |
| 40th Session | Kanpur | Apr. 15-17, 1925 | Sarojini Naidu | · Sarojini Naidu became the second woman to preside over the Congress after Annie Besant. |
| 42nd Session | Madras | Dec. 26-28, 1927 | M.A. Ansari | · At the 1927 Madras Session, the Congress resolved to boycott the Simon Commission “at each stage and in every form”. · Further, in a separate resolution, the Creed of the Congress was defined: “the goal of the Indian people is complete National Independence”. |
| 43rd Session | Calcutta | Dec. 29-01, 1929 | Motilal Nehru | · During the Calcutta session, Gandhiji moved a resolution accepting the Motilal Nehru report’s recommendation of Dominion Status within two years. · However, Jawaharlal Nehru moved an amendment reiterating the Congress’s commitment to independence. · To arrive at a middle ground, the Congress gave the British a warning that a civil disobedience movement would start if India was not granted dominion status by December 31, 1929. |
| 44th Session | Lahore | Apr. 16-18, 1929 | Pt Jawaharlal Nehru | · In this session, the Congress went a step declaring Purna Swaraj (complete independence) as its ultimate goal. · Also, Civil Disobedience movement was launched and Gandhi- Irwin pact was endorsed. |
| 45th Session | Karachi | Mar. 21-31, 1931 | Vallabbhai J. Patel | · The Congress expressed its admiration of the bravery and sacrifice of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru who were executed on March 23, 1931, while also voicing its disapproval of political violence. · They declared the execution of the three young men to be an act of wanton vengeance. · Also, the Congress adopted a resolution on Fundamental Rights and Economic Policy. |
| 46th Session | Delhi | April 24, 1932 | Amrit Ranchhorddas Seth | · Despite Police vigilance, over 500 delegates attended the Congress session in Delhi in April 1932. · Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, the President elect was arrested en-route. · Four resolutions were passed reiterating complete Independence as the goal of the Congress, endorsing the revival of Civil Disobedience, expressing complete faith in Gandhiji’s leadership and reaffirming deep faith in non-violence. |
| 48th Session | Bombay | Oct. 24-28, 1934 | Dr. Rajendra Prasad | · A number of changes in the Congress constitution were affected at the Bombay Session in 1934. · Wearing of Khadi was made a necessary criterion for elective membership. A cap of 2000 was put for the number of Congress delegates. · A. I. C. C. was reduced to half its strength. The delegates were to be elected at the rate of 1 per every 500 primary members, thereby making them representatives of the people. |
| 50th Session | Faizpur | Jul. 12-14, 1937 | Pt Jawaharlal Nehru | · This was the first Congress Session in a rural area. |
| 51st Session | Haripura | Feb. 19-21, 1938 | Subhash Chandra Bose | · Towards the end of the session, there was a contest for who would be the president-elect for the next session between Netaji and Pattabhi Sittaramayya. · Bose won with a margin even though Sittaramayya was seen as Gandhiji’s nominee. |
| 52nd Session | Tripura | Mar. 10-12, 1939 | Subhash Chandra Bose | · The Congress met at Tripuri under special circumstances as president Subhas Chandra Bose was very ill and Gandhiji was fasting in Rajkot. · As Bose was too ill to preside over some sittings, Maulana Azad conducted proceedings on his behalf. · However, differences cropped up between Bose and a section of the Working Committee and the former resigned from his presidentship. |
| 53rd Session | Ramgarh | Mar. 19-20, 1940 | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad | · The Ramgarh Session was taken up entirely with the crisis brought about by the war and passed only one lengthy resolution on the issue. · The Congress protested against the declaration of India as a belligerent country without any reference to the people and stated that the British government was carrying on the war fundamentally for imperialist ends. · The party also declared that nothing short of complete independence is acceptable. |
| 54th Session | Meerut | Nov. 23-24, 1946 | J.B. Kripalani | · This was the last session before independence |
Governor General Viceroys
- The Regulating Act of 1773 created the office with the title of Governor-General of Presidency of Fort William, or Governor-General of Bengal to be appointed by the Court of Directors of the East India Company (EIC).
The list of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), 1773-1833, are as follows:
| Name | Tenure | Notable events during their Tenure |
| Warren Hastings | 1773-1785 | · Regulating Act of 1773 · Supreme Council of Bengal · Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William (1774) was established · Asiatic Society of Bengal (1784) · Pitt’s India Act (1784) · Stopped Mughal pension to Shah Alam II · Abolished the Dual System in Bengal (Which was introduced by Robert Clive). · Moved Treasury from Murshidabad to Calcutta · James Augustus Hicky’s Bengal Gazette- First Indian newspaper published (in 1780) · First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–82) · Second Anglo-Mysore war (1780–84) · First Rohilla War of 1773–1774 · Ring fence policy · Founded Calcutta Madrasa (Aliah University) in 1780. · Creation of collector post · The first Governor General to be prosecuted for impeachment. (As a consequence of his involvement in First Rohilla War) · Experimentation on land settlements. · He formed Amini Commission in 1776. · Abolished Dastak system (which was introduced by Robert Clive) · English Translation of Bhagwat Gita by Charles Wilkins |
| Cornwallis | 1786-1793 | · Established lower courts and appellate courts · Permanent Settlement in Bihar and Bengal in 1793 · 3rd Anglo-Mysore war (1790–92) · Introduction of Cornwallis Code in 1793 · Introduction of Civil Services in India · Sanskrit Vidyalaya at Benares (now Varanasi) established by Johnathan Duncan (then Governor of Bombay) in 1791. · Introduced Sunset Law |
| John Shore | 1793-1798 | · Policy of Non-intervention · Charter Act of 1793 · Second Rohilla War 1794 · Battle of Kharda between Nizam and Marathas (1795) |
| Wellesley | 1798-1805 | · Introduction of the Subsidiary Alliance System (1798); first alliance with Nizam of Hyderabad. · Fourth Mysore War (1799). · Censorship Act, 1799 · Second Maratha War (1803-05) · Fort William College at Calcutta (1800) · Took over the administration of Tanjore (1799), Surat (1800) and Carnatic (1801). · Treaty of Bassein (1802). · Raj Bhavan at Calcutta was established in 1803 |
| George Barlow | 1805-1807 | · Sepoy mutiny at Vellore (The prelude to the First War of Independence of India) · Bank of Calcutta (1806) established (later Imperial Bank of India, now State Bank of India) |
| Minto I | 1807-1813 | · Treaty of Amritsar with Ranjit Singh (1809) · Charter Act of 1813 |
| Hastings | 1813-1823 | · Ended the policy of Non-intervention · Third Anglo-Maratha War (1816–1818) and the abolition of Peshwaship · Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16) ended with the signing of Treaty of Sugauli (1816) · Creation of Bombay Presidency in 1818 · Establishment of Ryotwari System in Madras Presidency in 1820 by the governor Sir Thomas Munro. · Establishment of Mahalwari System in Northern India by Holt Mackenzie (1822) · Hindu College (now Presidency University) at Calcutta in 1817 · The Pindari War (1817–1818) · Bengal Tenancy Act was passed in 1822. · General Committee of Public Instruction was formed in 1823 |
| Amherst | 1823-1828 | · Barrackpore mutiny of 1824 · First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–26) · Establishment of Sanskrit College at Calcutta (1824) · Treaty of Yandabo, 1826 · Capture of Bharatpur (1826) |
The Saint Helena Act 1833 (or Government of India Act 1833) re-designated the office with the title of Governor-General of India, and the list of the same are as follows:
| Name | Tenure | Notable events during their Tenure |
| William Bentinck | 1828-1835 | · First Governor General of India · Abolition of sati and other cruel rites (1829) · Suppression of Thugi (1830). · Mahalwari System in Central India, Punjab and Western UP. · Saint Helena Act 1833 or Charter Act 1833 (Christian Missionaries get Exclusive rights to spread Christianity in British India which included the present day Pakistan) · Kol Rebellion in 1831 · Barasat Uprising in 1831, led by Titumir · Resolution of 1835, and educational reforms and introduction of English as the official language. · Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata (1835) · Annexation of Mysore (1831), Coorg (1834) and Central Cachar (1834). · Abolition of the provincial courts of appeal and circuit set up by Cornwallis, appointment of commissioners of revenue and circuit. |
| Metcalfe | 1835-1836 | · New press law removing restrictions on the press in India. · Known as Liberator of India Press · Establishment of Calcutta Public Library in 1836 |
| Auckland | 1836-1842 | · Tripartite Treaty in 1838 between British, Shah Shuja and Maharaja Ranjit Singh against Dost Muhammad Khan. · The First Anglo Afghan War(1840–1842) · Bank of Bombay (1840) established · First Bengali daily newspaper Sambad Prabhakar was published in 1839 · Tattwabodhini Sabha was formed by Debendranath Tagore in 1839 |
| Ellenborough | 1842-1844 | · Gwalior War (1843) · Conquest and annexation of Sind Province by British (1843) · Indian Slavery Act, 1843 |
| Hardinge I | 1844-1848 | · The First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–46) · Treaty of Lahore (1846) · Treaty of Bhairowal (1846) · Establishment of Roorkee Engineering College (1847) · Social reforms including abolition of female infanticide and human sacrifice |
| Dalhousie | 1848-1856 | · Doctrine of Lapse in 1848 · Charter Act, 1853 · Bethune Collegiate School (1849) · Charles Wood Despatch (1854) · Establishment of summer capital at Shimla · Second Anglo-Burmese War (1852) · First Passenger train between Bombay and Thane (1853) · First telegraph Line was laid between Diamond Harbour and Calcutta. (1851) · Post Office Act, 1854 · Established Public Works Department (1854) · The Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848–1849) · Santhal Rebellion (1855) · Religious Disabilities Act, 1856 · Annexation of Oudh on the grounds of alleged internal misrule (1856) · Banned Female Infanticide completely and Human Sacrifice in Central province, Odisha and Maharashtra |
| Canning | 1856-1857 | · Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, 1856 · Revolt of 1857. · University of Calcutta, University of Bombay, and University of Madras were set up in 1857. |
Following the adoption of the Government of India Act of 1858, the Governor-General representing the Crown became known as the Viceroy, the list of whom are as follows:
| Name | Tenure | Notable events during their Tenure |
| Canning | 1858-1862 | · Queen Victoria’s Proclamation (on 1 November, 1858) and The Government of India Act, 1858 · System of Budget was introduced · Formation of Imperial Civil Services · Indigo Revolt in Bengal in 1859–60 · White mutiny by the European troops in 1859 · Enactment of Indian Penal Code in 1860 · Indian High Courts Act 1861 · Indian Councils Act, 1861 · Indian Civil Service Act, 1861 · Police Act, 1861 · Establishment of Archaeological Survey of India in 1861 · Introduced Portfolio System which gave foundation for Cabinet System |
| Elgin 1 | 1862-1863 | · Establishment of Calcutta High Court, Bombay High Court (14 August) and Madras High Court (15 August) in 1862 · Wahabi movement suppressed |
| John Lawrence | 1864-1869 | · Bhutan War (1864–65) · Establishment of Shimla as India’s summer capital in 1863 · The Tabernacle of New Dispensation, a new Church established by Keshub Chandra Sen · Establishment of Allahabad High Court in 1866 · Famine Commission was constituted in 1867 under Henry Campbell due to Orissa famine of 1866 · Tenancy Act was passed in Punjab and Oudh in 1868 |
| Mayo | 1869-1872 | · Started the Census in India in 1872 · Opening of Rajkumar college in Rajkot and Mayo College at Ajmer for political training of Indian Princes · Keshub Chandra Sen establishes Indian Reform Association (1870) · Started Financial decentralization in 1870 · Enacted IPC amendment-Sedition Act 1870 to tackle Wahabi Movement · He established the Department of Agriculture & Commerce in 1872 · Established Statistical Survey of India in 1872 |
| Northbrook | 1872-1876 | · Visit of Prince of Wales in 1875. · Trial of Gaekwar of Baroda. · Kuka Movement in Punjab. · Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College founded by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1875) · Prince of Wales Edward VII visited India in 1875 |
| Lytton | 1876-1880 | · Famine of 1876-78 affecting Madras, Bombay, Mysore, Hyderabad, parts of central India and Punjab; appointment of Famine Commission under the presidency of Richard Strachey (1878). · Royal Titles Act (1876), Queen Victoria assuming the title of ‘Kaiser-i-Hind’ or Queen Empress of India. · The Vernacular Press Act (1878). · The Arms Act (1878). · The Second Afghan War (1878-80). · 1st Delhi Durbar (out of 3) in 1877 · Decreased the maximum age of appearing in civil services from 21 to 19 · Second Anglo-Afghan War, (1878–80) · Treaty of Gandamak signed in 1879 |
| Ripon | 1880-1884 | · First Factory Act (1881) · Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 · Repeal of the Vernacular Press Act in 1882 · Ilbert Bill (1883) · Establishment of Panjab University in 1882 · Government resolution on local self-government (1882) · Appointment of Education Commission under Sir William Wilson Hunter in 1882 · First complete Census in India in 1881 · He passed Famine codes in 1883 · Increased the maximum age of appearing in civil services from 18 to 21 |
| Dufferin | 1884-1888 | · Establishment of Indian National Congress (1885) · Bengal Tenancy Act (1885) · Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885) · In 1886, Burma was made a province of India, with Rangoon as its capital |
| Lansdowne | 1888-1894 | · Age of Consent Act, 1891 was passed to prohibit the marriages of girl child under the age of 12. · Indian Council Act 1892 · Second Factory Act 1891 · Setting up of Durand Commission in 1893 · Categorisation of civil services into imperial, provisional and subordinate |
| Elgin II | 1894-1899 | · Indian famine of 1896–1897 · Spread of Bubonic plague in Bombay (1896) · Establishment of Ramakrishna Mission by Swami Vivekananda at Belur Math in 1897 · Assassination of two British officials (Walter Charles Rand and Ayerst) by the Chapekar brothers in 1897 |
| Curzon | 1899-1905 | · Indian famine of 1899–1900 · Munda rebellion in 1899–1900 · Department of Agriculture was constituted in 1901 · Agricultural Research Institute at Pusa in Bihar was established in 1905 · Partition of Bengal (1905) · Appointment of Raleigh University Commission (1902) (Indian Universities Act, 1904 was passed as per the recommendation of this commission) · Ancient Monuments Preservation Act 1904 · Official Secrets Act 1904 to curb free press · Second Delhi Durbar (out of 3) in 1903 · Appointment of Police Commission under Sir Andrew Frazer in 1902 · Creation of North-West Frontier Province in 1901 · Benaras Hindu Girls School (Kanya Vidyalaya) was established by Annie Besant in 1904 · Younghusband expedition to Tibet under Francis Younghusband in 1903–04 |
| Minto II | 1905-1910 | · Popularisation of anti-partition and Swadeshi Movements. · Morley–Minto reforms 1909, or the Indian Councils Act 1909 · Split in Congress in 1907 (in Surat session) · Satyendra Prasanna Sinha became first Indian member to be appointed in Viceroy’s Executive Council · Seditious meetings (prohibition) Act 1907 to curb the extremist movement · Establishment of Muslim League by Aga Khan III and Khwaja Salimullah (Nawab of Dhaka) in 1906 · Foundation of Jugantar revolutionary group in Bengal (1906) · Indian Press Act, 1910 · Jamsetji Tata established TISCO in 1907 · Foundation stone of ‘Victoria Memorial’ laid in 1906 · Newspapers Act 1908 |
| Hardinge II | 1910-1916 | · Third Delhi Durbar (1911) · Annulment of Partition of Bengal by King George V in 1911 · Transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi (1911) · Partition of Bengal to form Bihar and Orissa province (1912) · World War I (1914–18) · Komagata Maru incident (1914) · McMahon border line was created between India and China in 1914 · Ghadar Mutiny (1915) · Mahatma Gandhi came back to India from South Africa in 1915 · Foundation of Hindu Mahasabha by Madan Mohan Malviya (1915) · Foundation of Banaras Hindu University in 1916 |
| Chelmsford | 1916-1921 | · Formation of Indian Home Rule movement by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant (1916) · First Women’s University (SNDT Women’s University) at Pune was founded by Dhondo Keshav Karve (1916) · Lucknow Pact (1916) between Indian National Congress and Muslim League · Foundation of Sabarmati Ashram (1916) after Gandhi’s return · Champaran Satyagraha (1917), the first satyagraha movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in British India · Montagu’s August Declaration, 1917 · Saddler University Commission or Calcutta Commission (1917) · Kheda Satyagraha of 1918 · Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms (1919) · Government of India Act 1919 · Rowlatt Act (1919) · Jallianwala Bagh massacre (1919) · Khilafat Movement (1919–20) (later merged with Non-cooperation movement in 1920) · Non-cooperation movement (1920–22) · Foundation of Aligarh Muslim University in 1920 · Imperial Bank of India (now State Bank of India established in 1921) |
| Reading | 1921-1926 | · Malabar rebellion (also known as Moplah Rebellion), first Ethnic Rebellion (1921) · Rabindranath Tagore founded Visva-Bharati University in 1921 · Chauri Chaura incident (1922) and withdrawal of Non-cooperation movement by Mahatma Gandhi · Establishment of Swaraj Party by C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru (1922) · Appointment of Lee Commission in 1923 on public services reforms · Railway budget was separated from general budget since 1924 · Kakori train robbery in 1925 · Foundation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh by K. B. Hedgewar in 1925 · Foundation of the Communist Party of India in Kanpur in 1925 · Annulment of Press Act of 1910 and Rowlatt Act of 1919 |
| Irwin | 1926-1931 | · Visit of Simon Commission to India (1928) and the boycott of the commission by the Indians. · Appointment of the Harcourt Butler Indian States Commission (1927). · Nehru Report (1928) · Death of Lala Lajpat Rai (1928) · Fourteen Points of Jinnah (1929) · Lahore session of the Congress (1929); Purna Swaraj Resolution. · Meerut Conspiracy Case (1929) · Bombing in Central Legislative Assembly on 8 April 1929 by Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt · “Deepavali Declaration” on 31 October 1929 (to grant India dominion status in due course) · Appointment of “Hartog Committee” (1929) to survey the growth of education in British India · Launching of Civil disobedience movement with Salt March (1930) · Dharasana Satyagraha (1930) · First Round Table Conferences (1930) · Allahabad Address by Sir Muhammad Iqbal (1930) · Chittagong armoury raid in 1930 · Boycott of the First Round Table Conference (1930), Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931) and suspension of Civil Disobedience Movement. · Execution of Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar (1931) |
| Willingdon | 1931-1936 | · Second Round Table Conference (1931) · Announcement of Communal Award by Ramsay MacDonald (1932) · Poona Pact between Mahatma Gandhi and B. R. Ambedkar in 1932 · Third Round Table Conference (1932) · Pakistan Declaration (1933) · Launch of Individual Civil Disobedience (1933) · Foundation of Congress Socialist Party in 1934 · Government of India Act 1935 · Formation of All India Kisan Sabha in 1936 · Reserve Bank of India established by passing The Reserve Bank of India Act 1934. · Burma separated from India (1935). |
| Linlithgow | 1936-1944 | · Indian provincial elections (1937) · Indian entry into World War II (1939) · Day of Deliverance (1939) · Formation of All India Forward Bloc (1939) · Lahore Resolution (1940) · August Offer (1940) · Cripps Mission (1942) · Formation of Indian Legion (1942) · Quit India Movement (1942) · Formation of Indian National Army (1942) · Bengal famine (1943) · ‘Divide and Quit’ slogan at the Karachi session (1944) of the Muslim League. |
| Wavell | 1944-1947 | · C. R. formula (1944) · Simla Conference (1945) · WW II ended (1945) · Indian National Army (INA) trials in 1945-1946 · Cabinet Mission (1946) · Direct Action Day (16 August 1946) · Interim Government was formed in 1946 · Royal Indian Navy mutiny (1946) · Observance of ‘Direct Action Day’ (August 16, 1948) by the Muslim League. · Elections to the Constituent Assembly, formation of Interim Government by the Congress (September 1946). · Announcement of end of British rule in India by Clement Attlee (prime minister of England) on February 20, 1947. |
| Mountbatten | 1947-1948 | · June Third Plan (June 3, 1947) announced. · Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed on 18 July 1947. · Radcliffe Commission was appointed under the chairmanship of Cyril Radcliffe to demarcate the border line of Bengal Presidency and Punjab Province |
Governor General of India Post-Independence, are as follows:
| Name | Term | Notable events during their Tenure |
| Mountbatten | 1947-1948 | · First Governor-General of Independent India |
| C Rajagopalachari | 1948-1950 | · Last Governor-General of India, before the office was permanently abolished in 1950 |
