RAS question
The Regulating Act of 1773 established the Supreme Court at:
Correct answer: (B) Calcutta.
The Regulating Act of 1773 established the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William in Calcutta.
Explanation
The Regulating Act of 1773 made the first major parliamentary intervention in the East India Company's Indian administration and provided for a Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William. For the MCQ, this points to Calcutta, where the court was set up in 1774. Sir Elijah Impey was its first Chief Justice, and its jurisdiction covered all British subjects in Bengal. Banglapedia also supports the core jurisdictional point, stating that the court's jurisdiction extended to British subjects residing in Bengal and their native servants. Bombay and Madras are traps here because the 1862 reference belongs to their High Courts under letter patents, not to this Supreme Court under the Regulating Act.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Delhi was not the presidency town where the Regulating Act placed the Supreme Court; the Act's provision was tied to Fort William in Bengal, which makes Calcutta the answer.
- (C) Bombay is wrong because the 1862 reference in this context concerns the later High Court under letter patents, not the Supreme Court created by the Regulating Act of 1773.
- (D) Madras is wrong for the same reason: its 1862 reference is to the later High Court, whereas the 1773 Act established the Supreme Court at Calcutta.
Concept
This tests the early constitutional and administrative reforms of British India, especially Parliament's first attempt to regulate Company rule. RAS repeats this area because the Regulating Act links governance, judicial institutions and Bengal Presidency administration in one factual cluster.