Question

In what way was the administration of the Company different from that of Indian rulers?

Answer 1

• The last powerful ruler was Aurangazeb. A large part of Indian territory was under him.
• Many big zamindars and Mughal governors (subadars) began establishing regional kingdoms and asserting their authority, after the death of Aurangazeb in 1707.
• Presidencies were the administrative units of British territories in India.
• Bombay, Madras and Bengal were the three Presidencies.
• To rule these Presidencies, there was a Governor.
• In the administration, the Governor-General was the Supreme Head.
• In the sphere of Justice, the first Governor-General (Warren Hastings) implemented different administrative reforms particularly in the domain of Justice.
• A new system of justice was introduced from 1772.
• They created two courts for each district – diwani adalat (a civil court) and faujdari adalat (a criminal court).
• The civil courts were presided over by European district collectors; the Hindu Pandits and Maulvis helped them in interpreting Indian laws.
• Under the supervision of the collectors, the criminal courts were still under a mufti and qazi.
• Collector was the main figure in the Indian district.
• The mandate of the collector was to maintain law and order in his district with the help of darogas, police officers, and judges.
• The main task of the collector was to collect the taxes and revenue.
• The previous holders of authority were steadily replaced by the Collectorate which became the new centre of patronage and power.
• A court of appeal – the Sadar Nizamat Adalat was set up at Calcutta and a new Supreme Court was established under the Regulating Act of 1773.