RAS question
The Doctrine of Paramountcy, used by the British to intervene in princely states, was formalized under:
Correct answer: (B) Lord Hastings (1813-1823).
The Doctrine of Paramountcy was initiated under Lord Hastings, Governor-General from 1813 to 1823, when the Company claimed supreme authority over Indian states.
Explanation
The doctrine is linked to Lord Hastings because NCERT states that, under him, the Company initiated a new policy of "paramountcy". The core claim was that the Company's authority was paramount or supreme, so its power stood above that of Indian states. On that basis, the Company argued that it could annex, or threaten to annex, an Indian kingdom whenever its own interests required protection. Paramountcy made princely states subordinate in practice and gave the British a formal basis to intervene in their internal affairs. Hastings used this wider policy of supremacy while expanding British control against the Marathas, Pindaris and Rajput states.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Lord Cornwallis is associated with Bengal administration, not with the initiation of the paramountcy policy over Indian states.
- (C) Robert Clive belonged to an earlier phase of Company expansion, before the formal claim of paramountcy under Lord Hastings.
- (D) Lord Dalhousie is linked with the Doctrine of Lapse, whereas paramountcy was a distinct policy initiated under Lord Hastings.
Concept
This tests the expansion of British political control over Indian states, especially the shift from treaties and wars to an asserted right of supremacy. It recurs in RAS because it explains how British intervention weakened princely sovereignty before direct colonial rule became more systematic.