Introduction #
Charles Canning (14 December 1812 – 17 June 1862), who was also called Viscount Canning and Clemency Canning, was a British statesman who served as Governor-General of India during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and as the country’s first Viceroy after the East India Company was handed over to Queen Victoria in 1858 when the uprising had been put down. During his rule, the Government of India Act of 1858 was passed, creating the position of Viceroy, which had to be held by the same person as the Governor-General of India.
Significant Events In Canning Tenure #
The Proclamation Of Queen Victoria (1858) #
On November 1, 1858, Lord Canning announced the acquisition of direct sovereignty over India by Queen Victoria in a grand Darbar in Allahabad.
- The principles under which India would be governed in the future were also established in this proclamation, along with British policy towards princes and those residing in British-Indian territory.
- The aforementioned proclamation was given the moniker “Magna Carta of the People of India”. It was stated in an elegant manner to be in line with the queen’s guiding principles of justice and religious tolerance.
Government Of India Act, 1858 #
The GOI Act, of 1858 (officially known as the Act for the Good Government of India) received royal assent on August 2 and went into effect on November 1 of the same year.
- This law gave the British Crown political control and provided for the dissolution of the East India Company.
Indian Councils Act, 1861 #
With the passage of this legislation, the overburdened executive council of the Governor General gained a fifth “financial” member and 6–12 more members for the purpose of drafting laws.
- The Governor-General was given a number of new powers for administrative convenience.
- This legislation also established India’s portfolio system by granting the Governor-General the power to assign particular duties to particular Executive Council members.
- Additionally, it gave the Bombay and Madras administrations legislative power, which led to some decentralisation.
Indian Civil Services Act 1861 #
Any person, whether Indian or European, might be appointed to any of the positions specified in the act’s schedule if he had lived in India for at least seven years, according to the Indian Civil Services Act of 1861.
- The applicant had to succeed on a test in the local dialect of the district where he worked.
- However, according to the same law, certain of India’s most significant governmental positions were only open to British citizens and were therefore reserved for the covenant civil service.
- At the time, Indians requested entry into the Covenanted Civil Services, but their request was denied.
Indian High Courts Act 1861 #
With the passage of this law, the Supreme Courts, Sadar Diwani Adalats, and Sadar Fauzdari Adalats were consolidated. Additionally, the queen was given the authority to grant letters patent for the creation of High Courts in Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.
- Sadar Diwani Adalat, Fauzdari Adalats, and Supreme Courts all lost their authority in favour of the High Courts.
- According to the statute, each high court will include a chief justice and up to 15 other justices.
- One-third of the justices must be from the federal civil service, and at least three regular judges, including the chief justice, must be lawyers.
Indian Penal Code 1862 #
The Indian Penal Code was first drafted by Lord Macaulay in the 1830s, but it wasn’t finished until 1860 and wasn’t implemented until 1862.
- The Codes of Civil and Criminal Procedure’s final draught was finished in 1861.
- In the Presidency-Towns of Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras before 1860, “The English Criminal Law” served as the foundation for the administration of justice.
Financial Reforms #
The Indian Council Act of 1861 established a fifth member as a financial member of the Governor-General Executive Council.
- James Wilson was the first finance representative. In contrast to his three tax proposals, Laing, his successor, only put forth the income tax.
- This resulted in an income tax of 5% being applied to income of Rs. 500 or more each year. Significant cuts were made to both the military and civilian budget by the administration. The salt fee was raised to raise money.
Indigo Revolt #
European indigo planters and Bengali peasants fought each other during the Indigo Revolt, which took place between 1859 and 1860.
- The European planters attempted to force the tenants to increase their indigo cultivation due to the huge demand for blue dye in Europe. This led to a revolt. A commission was established to investigate the circumstance.
- It was decided that a tenant who refuses to carry out a civil contract to cultivate indigo will not be prosecuted.
Evaluation Of Canning Tenure #
Retaliation towards Indians did not characterise Lord Canning’s presidency. His liberal and compassionate ideas gave Indians some hope just as the national movement was about to get going.
- The Doctrine of Lapse was abolished, and it was made clear that the British government would only get involved in misgovernment and leave once things were back to normal.
- Because of his amiable and tolerant demeanour, he was given the name Clemency Canning.
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Conclusion #
Canning imposed a land-revenue settlement in Oudh that was overly beneficial to landlord interests, notwithstanding his efforts to safeguard Indian tenants from eviction or excessive rent hikes and intervene to stop their abuse by European indigo planters. On March 18, 1862, Canning withdrew and departed India in bad health as a result of the strenuous and demanding demands of the war in 1857 and later. However, in 1859, he was promoted to the rank of earldom before retiring in honour of his work in India.
Canning FAQs #
Q1. Which Governor General abolished the Doctrine of Lapse?
Ans. Lord Canning (1857–1861) withdrew the Doctrine of Lapse.
Q2. What was Lord Canning’s announcement in 1856?
Ans. The Mughal Dynasty in India suffered a setback when Lord Canning announced in 1856 that after the death of Bahadur Shah, his successors would not be permitted to use the imperial titles and dignities with their names.
Q3. What makes Lord Canning significant?
Ans. In India at the time of the sepoy mutiny (1857), Lord Canning served as the governor-general. He served as India’s first viceroy. He did away with the notion of lapse, allowing the Indian princes to choose a successor to continue their rule.
Q4. What did Lord Canning introduce?
Ans. The Bengal Rent Act of 1859 was the first tenancy law passed after Lord Cornwallis’s permanent settlement in 1793. This law was put out by Lord Canning in an effort to improve tenant-landlord relationships.
