Question map
Which one among the following was not a provision of the Regulating Act of 1773 ?
Explanation
The Regulating Act of 1773 was the first major step by the British Parliament to supervise and regulate the East India Company's affairs [2]. It established the office of the Governor-General of Bengal, assisted by a Council of four members [3]. Decisions were made by majority vote, and the Governor-General was specifically granted a casting vote in the event of a tie [4]. However, the Act did not remove all restrictions on voting qualifications in the Court of Proprietors. Instead, it significantly restricted the franchise by raising the qualification for a vote from holding £500 of stock to £1,000, and required that the stock be held for at least twelve months before the election. This was intended to prevent the 'splitting' of stock to create artificial votes, thereby making the Court of Proprietors more stable rather than removing restrictions.
Sources
- [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 26: Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial Developments > The Regulating Act of 1773 > p. 502
- [2] https://cbc.gov.in/cbcdev/british/british1.html
- [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 26: Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial Developments > The Regulating Act of 1773 > p. 503
- [4] https://ddceutkal.ac.in/Syllabus/MA_history/Paper_20.pdf