4. Charter Act, 1833

♤ Also known as ‘Saint Helena Act’, it brought about the final step of ‘centralization’, as

mentioned earlier.

o It made the Governor-General of Bengal as the Governor-General of India and vested in him all the military and civil powers. Lord William Bentinck was the first Governor-General of India.

o All law-making powers were conferred on the Governor-General and his Council.

o Thus, the Act created for the first time, a government of India having authority over the entire territorial area possessed by the British in India.*

♤ Laws under previous acts were called as ‘Regulations’, while those under Charter Act, 1833 were called as ‘Acts’.

♤ The Act ended the East India Company’s monopoly over trade with India. It became a purely administrative body. Trade with India was open to all British subjects.

♤ It attempted to codify all the Indian Laws. In this regard, it directed the government to set up an Indian Law Commission. Hence, India’s first law commission was set up with Lord Macaulay as its Chairman.

♤ It tried to bring about a system of open competition for selection of Civil Servants. *

o The above provision was however negated by opposition of the Court of Directors of Company.