RAS question
Lord Dalhousie annexed Awadh in 1856 on the grounds of:
Correct answer: (B) Misgovernance (maladministration).
Lord Dalhousie annexed Awadh in 1856 on the charge of misgovernance by its ruler, Wajid Ali Shah.
Explanation
Awadh was not annexed because its ruler lacked an heir, broke the Subsidiary Alliance, or failed to pay tribute. The formal ground used by Lord Dalhousie in 1856 was misgovernance, also described as maladministration, under Wajid Ali Shah. That distinction matters because Dalhousie used different justifications for different annexations: the Doctrine of Lapse applied where succession was disputed, while Awadh was absorbed on an administrative charge against a living ruler. The annexation became politically explosive because it affected a major north Indian state and is remembered as one of the immediate causes of the Revolt of 1857.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Subsidiary Alliance violation is wrong because the stated ground for annexing Awadh was misgovernance, not a breach of treaty obligations.
- (C) Doctrine of Lapse is wrong because Awadh had a legitimate heir, so Dalhousie's lapse policy did not apply to this annexation.
- (D) Non-payment of tribute is wrong because failure to pay tribute was not the formal reason cited for Awadh's annexation.
Concept
This tests British expansion under Dalhousie and the specific legal-political grounds used for annexing princely states. RAS repeats this concept because Awadh's annexation links Company policy directly with the build-up to the Revolt of 1857.