Indian Councils Act 1861

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Indian Councils Act 1861
24 & 25 Vict. c. 67
Dates
Royal assent1 August 1861
Other legislation
Repealed byGovernment of India Act 1915
Status: Repealed

The Indian Councils Act 1861 (

Calcutta's government: home, revenue, military, law, finance, and (after 1874) public works. The military Commander-in-Chief sat in with the council as an extraordinary member. The Executive Council was enlarged by addition of fifth member. The Viceroy was allowed, under the provisions of the Act, to overrule the council on affairs if he deemed it necessary, as was the case in 1879, during the tenure of Lord Lytton
.

The Viceroy was allowed to issue ordinances lasting six months if the Legislative Council is not in session in an emergency.

After the

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan advised the British Government to take Indian nationals into the administration of India. He argued in his pamphlet The Causes of the Indian Revolt that the failure of the British to admit Indians into the Legislative Council, prevented them from having any say in government policies that touched them directly and was the major cause behind the revolt.[3]

The Secretary of State for India, Sir Charles Wood, believed that the Act was of immense importance: "the act is a great experiment. That everything is changing in India is obvious enough, and that the old autocratic government cannot stand unmodified is indisputable."[4]

The 1861 Act restored the legislative powers of Bombay and Madras Presidencies taken away by the

Governor General was given the power to create new provinces for legislative purposes and could appoint Lieutenant Governors for the provinces.[5]

However, from India's point of view, the act did little to improve the influence of Indians in the legislative council. The role of council was limited to advice, and no financial discussion could take place.

See also

References

  • Indian Polity, by M Laxmikanth
  1. short titles
    omits the initial "The", ignores the italicisation of "Indian", and omits the comma after the word "Act".
  2. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica article concerning this Act
  3. OCLC 45953867
    .
  4. ISBN 81-224-1774-4
    .
  5. ^ "History of State Legislature". Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennei. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2010.


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