Question map
Which one of the following statements about the Act V of 1843 relating to Slavery in India is correct ?
Explanation
The Indian Slavery Act of 1843, also known as Act V of 1843, was a landmark piece of legislation that effectively abolished the legal status of slavery in British India. The Act's primary mechanism was to withdraw the state's recognition of slavery in civil and criminal courts. Specifically, it mandated that courts or judges under the East India Company could no longer support or enforce any claim to own another person as a slave. By denying masters the use of courts to assert their claims or recover runaway slaves, the law removed the legal foundation of the master-slave relationship. Furthermore, it ensured that any property acquired by a person could not be seized on the grounds of their slave status and that crimes against slaves would be punished as if they were committed against free persons. This legal shift transformed slavery into a non-justiciable status, leading to its gradual decline.