The Council of India (1858 – 1935) was an advisory body to the Secretary of State for India, established in 1858 by the Government of India Act 1858. It was based in London and initially consisted of 15 members.[1] The Council of India was dissolved in 1935 by the Government of India Act 1935.[2] It is different from the Viceroy's Executive Council based in India, which was the advisory body and cabinet of the Governor-General of India/Viceroy, which was originally established in 1773 as the Council of Four.
History
In 1858 the company's involvement in India's government was transferred by the Government of India Act 1858 to the British government.[3] The act created a new governmental department in London, the India Office, headed by the cabinet-ranking Secretary of State for India, who was in turn to be advised by a new Council of India (also based in London).
But this new council of India, which assisted the Secretary of State for India contained 15 members.[4]
The Council of the Secretary of State, also known as the India Council was based in Whitehall. In 1907, two Indians Sir Krishna Govinda Gupta and Nawab Syed Hussain Bilgrami were appointed by Lord Morley as members of the council. Bilgrami retired early in 1910 owing to ill-health and his place was taken by Mirza Abbas Ali Baig.[5][6] Other members included Raja Sir Daljit Singh (1915–1917), C. Rajagopalachari (1923–1925), Malik Khizar Hayat Tiwana (1924–1934) and Sir Abdul Qadir
The Secretary of State's Council of India was abolished by the Government of India Act 1935.
Members
| Term start | Term end | Names | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888 | November 1902 | Right Hon. Sir Alfred Comyn Lyall, GCIE, KCB, PC | 1835 | 1911 | |
| 1888 | November 1902 | Sir James Braithwaite Peile, KCSI | 1833 | 1906 | |
| 1897 | 1907 | General Sir John James Hood Gordon, GCB[7] | 1832 | 1908 | |
| 1900 | March 1907 | General Sir Alexander Robert Badcock, KCB, CSI | 1844 | 1907 | |
| November 1902[8] | Sir Antony Patrick MacDonnell, GCSI, PC | 1844 | 1925 | Lieutenant Governor of Bengal 1893–1895 Lieutenant Governor of United Provinces 1895–1901 | |
| November 1902[8] | 1910 | Sir William Lee-Warner, GCSI | 1846 | 1914 |
See also
References
Further reading
- A Constitutional History of India, 1600–1935, by Arthur Berriedale Keith, published by Methuen & Co., London, 1936
- The Imperial Legislative Council of India from 1861 to 1920: A Study of the Inter-action of Constitutional Reform and National Movement with Special Reference to the Growth of Indian Legislature up to 1920, by Parmatma Sharan, published by S. Chand, 1961
- Imperialist Strategy and Moderate Politics: Indian Legislature at Work, 1909-1920, by Sneh Mahajan, published by Chanakya Publications, 1983