Who among the following introduced the policy of 'Doctrine of Lapse'?

The Doctrine of Lapse was an annexation policy widely applied by Lord Dalhousie, who served as the Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856. Under this policy, any princely state under the suzerainty of the British East India Company would be annexed if its ruler died without a natural-born male heir, effectively rejecting the age-old Indian custom of adopting an heir.

• Satara (1848) was the first state to be annexed under this doctrine.
• Other major states included Sambalpur (1849), Jhansi (1853), and Nagpur (1854).

This aggressive expansionist policy caused widespread resentment among Indian rulers and was one of the primary political causes of the Revolt of 1857. In contrast, Lord Wellesley is known for the Subsidiary Alliance, and Lord Cornwallis for the Permanent Settlement.