Government of India Act of 1858

Government of India Act of 1858
This significant Act was enacted in the wake of the Revolt of 1857—also known as the First War of
Independence or the ‘sepoy mutiny’. The act known as the Act for the Good Government of India,
abolished the East India Company, and transferred the powers of government, territories and revenues
to the British Crown.
Features of the Act
1. It provided that India henceforth was to be governed by, and in the name of, Her Majesty. It
changed the designation of the Governor-General of India to that of Viceroy of India. He
(viceroy) was the direct representative of the British Crown in India. Lord Canning thus
became the first Viceroy of India.
2. It ended the system of double government by abolishing the Board of Control and Court of
Directors.
3. It created a new office, Secretary of State for India, vested with complete authority and
control over Indian administration. The secretary of state was a member of the British cabinet
and was responsible ultimately to the British Parliament.
4. It established a 15-member Council of India to assist the secretary of state for India. The
council was an advisory body. The secretary of state was made the chairman of the council.
5. It constituted the secretary of state-in-council as a body corporate, capable of suing and being
sued in India and in England.
‘The Act of 1858 was, however, largely confined to the improvement of the administrative machinery
by which the Indian Government was to be supervised and controlled in England. It did not alter in
any substantial way the system of government that prevailed in India