Prelims Revision Series | Polity | Historical Background of Indian Constitution | 03

Answer: (D)

• Regulating Act 1773 : Supreme Court consisted one Chief Justice and three other regular judges or Puisne Judges.
• Regulating Act 1773 marked the first step towards parliamentary control over the Company and centralized administration in India.
• Pitts act empowered the board of Control to supervise all operations of civil and military government in India.

Answer: (c)

Provisions under Charter Act of 1833:

• The Act centralised the Indian administration and the Governor General of Bengal was made the Governor General of India. The powers of Governor General -in-Council were further extended and Bombay, Madras and all other territories were placed under the complete control of GG-in Council. It deprived the Governor of Bombay and Madras from their legislative powers.
• The Act enlarged Executive Council of the Governor General by addition of the fourth member. Consequently, a law member was added to the Governor General’s Council, and his work was fully legislative. Lord Macaulay became the first Law Member and the President of Law Commission.
• This act attempted to introduce an open competition system for selection of civil servants and stated that Indians could hold any position in government office. However, this provision was not implemented after strong opposition from Court of Directors.
• East India company charter was renewed for further 20 years, but monopoly of East India company in India was completely ended through this act.
• The act deprived the legislative power of Bombay and Madras only.

Answer: (d)

Government of India Act, 1919:

• It relaxed the central control over the provinces by demarcating and separating the central and provincial subjects.
• It further divided the provincial subjects into two parts– transferred and reserved.
• It introduced, for the first time, bicameralism and direct elections in the country. It extended the principle of communal representation by providing separate electorates for Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians and Europeans.
• It granted franchise to a limited number of people on the basis of property, tax or education.(Direct Election)
• 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.
• 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.
• It separated, for the first time, provincial budgets from the Central budget and authorised the provincial legislatures to enact their budgets.

Answer: (a)

Answer: (B)

• It restored the legislative powers of Bombay and Madras Presidencies taken away by the Charter Act of 1833. Thus, it begun the process of decentralisation in Indian administration.
• The ‘Portfolio’ System introduced by Viceroy Lord Canning in 1859 was formally recognised by this Act. The council member’s holding any particular departments were authorized to issue final orders on behalf of the council on matters related to their department.
• The Viceroy was allowed to issue ordinances lasting six months without the concurrence of the legislative councils.

Answer: (c)

• The Act increased the number of additional members to be represented in the Central and Provincial councils but maintained official majority. For example, the number of Additional Members elected to the Central Legislative Council was increased to a range of ten to sixteen.
• It increased the functions of the legislative councils. The councils were allowed to hold a discussion on the annual financial statement. With certain restriction and conditions members of councils were also permitted to ask questions to the executive on the public interest.

Answer: (D)

• Lord Minto is known as the “Father of communal Electorate”.
• Morley-Minto Act 1909 allowed the provincial legislative council to have the non-official majority.
• Satyendra Prasad Sinha is the first Indian to join the Viceroy’s Executive Council.

Answer: (C)

• Governing system was centralized and unitary only.
• Reserved subjects were administered by the governor with aid of the executive council without being responsible to the legislative council.
• Transferred subjects were administered by the governor with aid of ministers responsible to the legislative council.

Answer: (d)

• Gender was not the basis of the limited franchise under the Government of India Act 1919.
• Government of India Act 1919 separated the provincial budget from the central Budget for the first time.

Answer: (d)

Government of India Act, 1935:

• It abolished dyarchy in the provinces and introduced ‘provincial autonomy’ in its place. The provinces were allowed to act as autonomous units of administration in their defined spheres. Moreover, the Act introduced responsible Governments in provinces, that is, the Governor was required to act with the advice of ministers responsible to the provincial legislature. This came into effect in 1937 and was discontinued in 1939.
• It provided for the adoption of dyarchy at the Centre. Consequently, the federal subjects were divided into reserved subjects and transferred subjects. However, this provision of the Act did not come into operation at all.
• It introduced bicameralism in six out of eleven provinces.
• It abolished the Council of India, established by the Government of India Act of 1858. The secretary of state for India was provided with a team of advisors.
• It provided for the establishment of a Federal Court, which was set up in 1937.

Answer: (d)

Answer: (B)

Answer: (b)

• The Act provided for the appointment of a separate governor for the Bengal Presidency. It maintained that the governor of Bengal should be different from the Governor-General who was to head administration of the whole of India.
• The Law member (fourth member) became a full member with the right to vote.
• For the first time, the legislative and executive functions of the Governor-General’s council were separated. The legislative wing of the Governor-General’s Council acted as a parliament on the model of the British Parliament.

Answer: (d)

• The Act of 1935 was quite a lengthy and detailed document. It consisted of 321 sections and 10 schedules.
• The Act was largely disappointing because it did not hold out assurance about granting Dominion.
• No Indian legislature whether Federal or provisional was authorized to modify or amend it. The British Government alone was given the authority to make changes in it. Hence statement 3 is not correct.
• The Act also provided for the establishment of Federal Court to settle disputes arising among the units themselves and also between a unit and the Federal Government

Answer: (D)

• The Act divided the powers between the Centre and units in terms of three lists–Federal List (for Centre, with 59 items), Provincial List (for provinces, with 54 items) and the Concurrent List (for both, with 36 items). Residuary powers were given to the Viceroy. However, the federation never came into being as the princely states did not join it.