Charter Act of 1813, Impact on India

Charter Act of 1813

Introduction

Queen Elizabeth I of England grants a formal charter to the London merchants trading to the East Indies, hoping to break the Dutch monopoly of the spice trade in what is now Indonesia.

In the first few decades of its existence, the East India Company made far less progress in the East Indies than it did in India itself, where it acquired unequaled trade privileges from India’s Mogul emperors. By the 1630s, the company abandoned its East Indies operations almost entirely to concentrate on its lucrative trade of Indian textiles and Chinese tea. In the early 18th century, the company increasingly became an agent of British imperialism as it intervened more and more in Indian and Chinese political affairs. The company had its own military, which defeated the rival French East India Company in 1752 and the Dutch in 1759.

In 1773, the British government passed the Regulating Act to reign in the company. The company’s possessions in India were subsequently managed by a British governor general, and it gradually lost political and economic autonomy.

After the implementation of the charter acts in what ways it effect the company government in India?

            Previously, the Home government in England consisted of the Court of Directors and the Court of Proprietors. The Court of Directors were elected annually and practically managed the affairs of the Company. In India, each of the three presidencies was independent and responsible only to the Home Government. The government of the presidency was conducted by a Governor and a Council. This structure was changed frequently with the passage of charter acts, which includes charter act of 1793, 1813, 1833, 1853.

The East India Company And Its Acts

The East Indian Company can be divided into five phases

·         Regulating Act of 1773

·         The East India company act or Pitt’s India Act of 1784

·         The Charter Act of 1793

·         The Charter Act of 1813

·         The Charter Act of 1833

Act of 1773 - The Regulating Act 1773 (Warren Hasting) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain intended to overhaul the management of the East India Company's rule in India. Central Administration was established. Territorial Expansion, Terrible famine in Bengal 1770 were the reasons for the implementation of the act.

Act of 1784- The East India Company Act 1784, also known as Pitt's India Act, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain intended to address the shortcomings of the Regulating Act of 1773 by bringing the East India Company's rule in India under the control of the British Government. Companies territories were called as the British territories for the first time.

Charter Act of 1793

            In the act of 1786, the British government granted Lord Cornwallis the power of both Governor General and Commander in chief, it was a supplementary act towards the charter act.

            The charter act of 1793 was nothing but the renewal of the Charter which was given to the East India Company and was renewed by the British parliament. With this act, the company could pay the British officers from the Indian treasury. This act gave the Governor General supreme power and could over ride the council. The Governor General has given control over the Bombay and Madras presidency.  On the other hand we could say that this charter act gave a little boost to the land revenue policies. The Britishers continued their monopoly on India for the next twenty years.

            Another important feature of this act is that it re-organised civil and criminal justice laws. In the matter of revenue administration were dispersed as a result, Mal Adalat (Revenue courts) were dispersed and these cases went to the District courts.

            In the act of 1797, the important feature is that, it reduced the number of judges from four to three, in the supreme court of Calcutta. It directed that all the regulations which are put forward by the Governor General should be considered by the judicial department and should form a regulation of formal code. These code should be translated into all languages and be printed in all the country languages.

            In the act of 1800, it extended the jurisdiction of Supreme court at Calcutta over the district of Banaras, and all the districts have been or might have been annexed by the Presidency of Bengal. This act also provided for the constitution of a supreme court at Madras.

            In the act of 1807, this empowered the Governors and councils of the presidencies of Madras, Bombay to make regulations like the governor of Bengal. Subject to registration and approval lies in the hands of Supreme court and recorder’s court.

Charter Act of 1813

The charter act mainly effected in the areas of

·         Trade , commerce and law

·         Education, and missionaries                    

Trade, commerce and law.

            The charter act of 1813 was the renewal of the 1793 act. It need to be renewed if the Britisher’s wanted to continue their monopoly in trade. The policies which were adopted by Lord Wellesley during 1798-1805 put a big financial burden on the Company which was the annexation of lands. Adding a little force into this financial crisis Napoleon implemented some addition laws to Milan and Berlin which caused hardship for the British traders to engage in European trade. So they demanded that they need permission to enter and trade with Asian countries. It is also viewed that the trade with India should not be be continued unless the company was able to agree some rules and regulation which might seems reasonable. The company on the other hand argued that the political and commercial powers are unseperable. Its trade profits were depend upon its monopoly, if the trade doesn’t carried out in a good way, the running of the government wont be smooth. So they entered into an agreement which allowed all the merchants and traders of the British to enter in India with the showing of License. A committee of the House of Common were investigating into the affairs of India, and submitted ‘thirteen resolution’ in 1813 and was passed in the same year, as the Charter act of 1813.

            The Charter of the company has been renewed for twenty years. Trade Monopoly with has been ended. The private British merchants have the provision to establish trade, under the restriction of making trade except on the items like, tea, opium etc. The company was allowed to do her monopoly with China for the next 20 years.

            The company made provisions for the British people who wished to stay here and wanted to go out. The persons who wanted to stay here could stay here, as long as he like by obeying the law and be good also have to get the permit from the Court of Director or by their refusal need to get approval from the Board of control. The ones who stayed here without licence, was fined and may even get punished. Rupee of one lakh has been allotted for the improvement of education in the areas of science and literature. A group of section of acts were layed out for the implementation of the Education, religion, learning and also the training of the companies civil and military training. The colleges run by the company was under the control of the Board of control.

            The company was to maintain all the accounts clearly, from relating the territorial and political departments from those who relating it to the commercial affairs. The application for the companies territorial and commercial profits are regulated. The companies debt was reduced and the dividend was to paid at the rate of 10.5% per annum. The profit was to be divided by the company and the public. In the intrest of economy the salaries and pensions were limited. The power of the Board of Control has been increased.

            The act further made provisions on the areas of crimes and justices. There were punishment and penality for everyone even if it’s a British native. Special penalities were given if one found that he has done forgery, theft, and coinage offences.

Education

            The battle for Missions heated up again in 1813, when the Company’s Charter came up for renewal.  The situation was vastly  different  this  time. Charles Grant  had  grown  in  stature  and influence,  and  had  won  himself  a  seat  in  Parliament.  William Carey’s  work  had  earned immense respect for missions, in Bengal as well as  in England. Also, his struggle against the inhumanity of  'sati' and the Company’s cowardice in not banning such an inhuman practice had become  well  known.  It  had  therefore became  harder  to maintain  that  Indians  should  not  be challenged  to  critically  examine  their beliefs and practices  and  missionaries  should not be allowed to teach Indians to distinguish true faith from superstition.

There was a great unrest in the British Parliament, in the year 1813, when the issue of permission to start missionary movement in India was asked. The  chief  ammunition  for  the opponents  of  mission  was  provided  by  the  Vellore  Mutiny,  which  began  on  July  10,  1806, being  instigated by the sons of Tipu Sultan, who  were  allowed  to  live  at  Vellore  after  being defeated by the British forces. The immediate causes of the mutiny revolved mainly around resentment felt towards changes in the sepoy dress code, introduced in November 1805. Hindus were prohibited from wearing religious marks on their foreheads and Muslims were required to shave their beards and trim their moustaches. This Mutiny followed a lot of events creating unrest in Britain as well as in India and ended with the Governor General of Madras Presidency, William Bentick being recalled back to London.

Several officials of the Company argued that the restrictions on the missionaries should continue:  the Indian are civilized enough and do not need the missionaries. However, the missionaries and their political supporters had prepared a formidable attack. Indians are in the darkest plight, they argued. The conversion  of  India  to  Christianity  will  spell  temporal  benefits  to  the  heathens.  Far from the unsettling it, the conversion of the heathens to Christianity will further consolidate the empire.

Finally a missionary clause was attached to Charter Act 1813 passed by the Parliament. Charter Act of 1813 permitted made provisions to grant permission to the persons who wished to go to India for promoting moral and religious improvements that means Christian missionaries to propagate English and preach their religion. It also allotted Rs 100,000 to promote education in Indian masses.

First time in the Indian soil official money of rupee one lakh was allotted to expand the education of the Indians. The charter act of 1813 compelled the East India company to accept responsibility for the education of the Indian people. As a result schools and colleges under their control, which laid foundation of English system of education in India. The education policy is mentioned in the clause 43 of Charter act of 1813.

This lakh rupee of is set apart not only for reviving literature in India, but also for the introduction and promotion of the knowledge of the science among the British territories.

Charter Act of 1833

            After the thorough inspection of British government, the charter was renewed again in 1833, with this, the company lost its monopoly over the trade with China and their tea trade became much worse. The territorial possessions were remained under the control of the company government but were to be held ‘in trust of his majesty, his heirs and successors for the service of the government of India’.

            The presidency of Bengal has overgrown and therefore the act provided for its splitting into two presidencies, as the Presidency of Fort William and The Presidency of Agra. But it was never approved and kept in suspension by the act of 1835.

            With the act of 1833, all the laws which were made by the India should be laid in front of the Parliement. The Governor of Bengal became the Governor General of India, thus had the power of military and civil. Lord William Bentick was the first Governor General in India. It was the final step towards the centralization of British India.

Charter Act of 1853

            Charter act of 1853 was the last charter act passed for East India company, It was the renewal of the charter act pf 1833. Unlike the other charter acts it did not fix any time limit fot the continuance of the administration of the company in India.

            This act separated Governor General Executive and legislative functions thus separating a legislative council for India. In this council it had 12 members. It was for the first time, treated as a seperate machinery. This paved way for the transfer of Indian territories to the crown and the career of east India Company to an end.

Conclusion

            The charter acts were mainly created to replace the company administration with Home government administration.  By far they succeded in that by removing the monopoly which made a huge impact on the company's commercial policies and their profits went down tremondously which made the company to be dependent upon the British government.

            As far as we concern, the laws made by the Home government profits the Indians, but due to the desire of commercial progress, the company, most of the time violated the laws. Which made the life of the Indians much more pathetic.