Colonial Roots of the Indian Constitution (1858–1947)
Key British-era acts, reforms, and legacies that shaped India's constitutional design.
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Questions Covered in This Set
10 cards to master
Which colonial statute supplied roughly two-thirds of the Indian Constitution's text?
The Government of India Act, 1935 — much of it borrowed, adapted, or lifted almost word-for-word.
What did the Government of India Act, 1858 do?
Abolished the East India Company, transferred power to the British Crown, created the Secretary of State for India (with a 15-member Council), and re-designated the Governor-General as Viceroy.
Why is the 1858 Act NOT considered a constitution?
It had no rights, no representation and no Indian participation — it was an administrative reshuffle, a change of landlord rather than of tenancy terms.
What is the lasting legacy of the 1858 Act in today's Constitution?
The instinct of a highly centralised, unitary administration run from the top — echoed in Article 356 and the Centre's dominance over the States.
What did the Indian Councils Act, 1861 introduce?
Nominated non-official Indian members in the Viceroy's legislative council and restored legislative powers to Bombay and Madras — the beginning of representative institutions and legislative devolution.
What did the Indian Councils Act, 1892 allow members to do?
Enlarged the councils and let members discuss the budget and ask questions — the ancestor of parliamentary accountability and question hour.
What were the two key features of the Indian Councils Act, 1909 (Morley–Minto)?
Indians were appointed to the Viceroy's Executive Council (S. P. Sinha was first) and separate electorates were created for Muslims.
How did the Constituent Assembly undo the 1909 Act's communal legacy?
In 1949 it chose joint electorates with reserved seats for SCs and STs instead of separate electorates, which Ambedkar had called a poison.
What was 'dyarchy' under the Government of India Act, 1919?
Double rule in the provinces: 'transferred' subjects run by ministers responsible to the elected legislature, and 'reserved' subjects run by the Governor answerable only to London.
Give examples of transferred vs reserved subjects under the 1919 Act.
Transferred: education, health, local government, agriculture. Reserved: police, land revenue, justice, irrigation (finance was also reserved).
