Question 23 from UPSC CSE 2014 - Modern Indian History

Question

What was/were the object/objects of Queen Victoria's Proclamation (1858)?
1. To disclaim any intention to annex Indian States.
2. To place the Indian administration under the British Crown.
3. To regulate East India Company's trade with India.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. 1 and 2 only

Strategy: Identify the core purpose of the 1858 Proclamation—the transfer of governance to the Crown and assurances to Indian princes. Eliminate any options related to the East India Company's trade, as this was an anachronistic concern by 1858. Select the statements that align with the governance and princely assurances.

Key Info: Queen Victoria's Proclamation was issued on 1 November 1858, following the end of the Revolt of 1857. The chief objects were:

- To formally transfer governance of India from the East India Company to the British Crown. This ended the Company's rule under the Government of India Act 1858 and brought India directly under the British monarch's authority.
- To assure Indian princes of sovereignty over their states, explicitly stating that the Crown had no intention to annex their territories; it effectively abandoned the policy of further annexations, such as that of Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse.
- To guarantee non-interference in religious affairs, promote equal treatment before the law, and grant clemency to most rebels of the 1857 revolt.

The regulation of the East India Company's trade is not relevant, as the Company's trading activities had ceased in 1833 under the Charter Act. By 1858, the Company's administrative functions were being abolished.

The Government of India Act, 1858, provided for the office of the Secretary of State for India and the India Council, removing Company administration. The Proclamation, read out by Lord Canning, marked the formal beginning of the British Raj.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: 2 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option C: 1 and 3 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: 1, 2, and 3

What was/were the object/objects of Queen Victoria's Proclamation (1858)? To disclaim any intention to annex Indian States. To place the Indian administration under the British Crown. To regulate East India Company's trade with India. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

What was/were the object/objects of Queen Victoria's Proclamation (1858)?

To disclaim any intention to annex Indian States.

To place the Indian administration under the British Crown.

To regulate East India Company's trade with India.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.