Administrative Unification

4.1 Civil Service and Bureaucracy

Cornwallis Code (1793)

Lord Cornwallis separated revenue, judicial, and magisterial functions. He barred Indians from civil service posts above a certain level — establishing a racially exclusive hierarchy. Courts were reorganised and regulations codified, creating the first systematic administrative framework for British India.

Charter Act of 1833

The EIC's trading functions ceased — it became a purely administrative body. India was brought under a single legislative authority for the first time, with a Governor-General of India (not just of Bengal) and a four-member executive council.

Macaulay's Penal Code (1860)

Lord Macaulay's Law Commission produced the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 1838; it was enacted in 1860. The IPC codified criminal law uniformly across British India for the first time, replacing the patchwork of personal laws and local customs.

Indian Civil Service

Competitive exams for the ICS were introduced by the Government of India Act 1853 — but held only in London. The maximum age was 23 years, later reduced to 18 in 1877 (Lytton government) — specifically to exclude Indians who studied in India until that age. Surendranath Banerjee passed the ICS exam in 1869 but was dismissed; this motivated his career as a nationalist leader.

Simultaneous Examinations (1922)

After the 1919 Government of India Act (Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms), the Lee Commission recommended simultaneous ICS examinations in India and England from 1922 — the first meaningful opening of the higher civil service to Indian candidates.

4.2 Judicial Unification

British rule gradually unified India's judicial system through successive reforms:

• Regulating Act 1773: Supreme Court at Calcutta — the first British court in India with jurisdiction over Crown subjects
• Cornwallis (1793): Separated courts for revenue and civil cases; Sadar Diwani Adalat and Sadar Nizamat Adalat at provincial level
• Charter Act 1833: Single set of laws for entire British India
• Indian High Courts Act 1861: High Courts replaced the Supreme Court and Sadar Adalats — unified judicial hierarchy in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras
• Uniform legal codes: Indian Penal Code (1860) + Code of Criminal Procedure (1861) + Civil Procedure Code (1859, revised 1882) — one of the most enduring colonial legacies

4.3 Legislative Framework

Act	Year	Key Provision
Regulating Act	1773	First attempt to regulate EIC; Governor-General of Bengal; Supreme Court at Calcutta
Pitt's India Act	1784	Board of Control in London supervising EIC political functions; dual control
Charter Act	1813	EIC monopoly over India trade ended (except China and tea); Christian missionaries allowed
Charter Act	1833	EIC trading ended; single Governor-General for India; ICS competitive exams principle
Charter Act	1853	Open competitive ICS exams introduced; legislative council enlarged
Government of India Act	1858	Transfer to Crown; Secretary of State for India; Viceroy replaces Governor-General
Indian Councils Act	1861	Indians nominated to legislative councils for first time
Indian Councils Act	1892	Enlarged councils; non-official members can discuss budget
Indian Councils Act	1909 (Morley-Minto)	Limited elections; separate Muslim electorate introduced
Government of India Act	1919 (Montagu-Chelmsford)	Dyarchy in provinces; enlarged franchise; bicameral central legislature

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