Assertion (A): Ranjit Singh signed the Treaty of Amritsar in 1809. Reason (R) : He was defeated by the East India Company.

Assertion (A) is true as Maharaja Ranjit Singh signed the Treaty of Amritsar on April 25, 1809, with the British East India Company, represented by Charles Metcalfe [1][t1]. This treaty established the Sutlej River as the boundary between the Sikh Empire and British territories, effectively checking Ranjit Singh's expansion into the Malwa (cis-Sutlej) region [c1][t2]. However, Reason (R) is false because the treaty was not the result of a military defeat. Instead, it was a diplomatic settlement influenced by the changing geopolitical landscape, specifically the receding threat of a Franco-Russian invasion and the British becoming more assertive [c1]. Ranjit Singh maintained a policy of non-aggression and diplomatic acumen to avoid direct conflict with the superior British forces while consolidating his power in the north and west [t4]. The first actual military defeat of the Sikh Empire by the British occurred much later, after Ranjit Singh's death [c2].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 5: Expansion and Consolidation of British Power in India > Ranjit Singh and the English > p. 115