RAS question
After the 1857 Revolt, the British Crown took over from East India Company through:
Correct answer: (A) Government of India Act, 1858.
After the Revolt of 1857, the British Crown took over the government of India from the East India Company through the Government of India Act, 1858.
Explanation
The Government of India Act, 1858 was the legal instrument that ended Company rule and transferred authority over India to the British Crown. The cited Hansard record shows Parliament considering resolutions that the government of the East India Company's territories should be transferred to the Crown, so that direct superintendence of the whole empire could rest under one executive authority. This matches the standard explanation: the Act abolished the East India Company's governing role, created the office of Secretary of State for India, and changed the Governor-General's designation to Viceroy. The Queen's Proclamation followed as a political declaration, but the statutory transfer came through the Act.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Queen's Proclamation only is wrong because the proclamation was not the legal instrument that transferred power; the Government of India Act, 1858 did that.
- (C) The Indian Councils Act, 1861 came after the Government of India Act, 1858, so it did not effect the immediate post-1857 transfer from Company to Crown.
- (D) The Charter Act, 1853 was the last Charter Act but it preceded the 1857 Revolt, so it could not be the post-revolt takeover instrument.
Concept
This tests the transfer of power after the 1857 Revolt, a core Modern Indian History theme. RAS repeats it because it marks the shift from Company rule to Crown rule and anchors later questions on colonial administration.