RAS question
Lord Dalhousie's 'Doctrine of Lapse' was applied to annex which of the following states?
Correct answer: (D) Satara, Jhansi, and Nagpur.
Lord Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse was applied to annex Satara, Jhansi and Nagpur.
Explanation
The Doctrine of Lapse was Dalhousie's annexation policy during his tenure as Governor-General from 1848 to 1856. It held that when an Indian ruler died without a male heir, the kingdom would lapse into Company territory; an adopted son was not accepted as a valid successor. NCERT lists Satara, Sambalpur, Udaipur, Nagpur and Jhansi as states annexed by applying this doctrine. That makes the option grouping Satara, Jhansi and Nagpur the only one that matches the policy. Awadh is a useful contrast: NCERT separately says it was taken over in 1856 on the British claim of misgovernment, not by lapse.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Punjab, Sindh and Bengal were not the lapsed princely states named under Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse; NCERT treats Sindh and Punjab as separate annexations before this policy discussion.
- (B) Awadh was annexed on the stated ground of misgovernment, while Burma and Coorg were not annexed through Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse.
- (C) Mysore, Hyderabad and Travancore are not among the states NCERT identifies as annexed through the Doctrine of Lapse.
Concept
This tests the modern Indian history theme of Company expansion under Dalhousie. It recurs in RAS because the policy links annexation, succession disputes and one of the causes of the 1857 Revolt.