Question

What are the important features of the Indian government act of 1858?

Answer 1

The Government of India Act 1858 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (21 & 22 Vict. c. 106) passed on August 2, 1858. Its provisions called for the liquidation of the British East India Company (who had up to this point been ruling British India under the auspices of Parliament) and the transference of its functions to the British Crown.[2] Lord Palmerston, then-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, introduced a bill for the transfer of control of the Government of India from the East India Company to the Crown, referring to the grave defects in the existing system of the government of India. However, before this bill was to be passed, Palmerston was forced to resign on another issue. Later Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby (who would later become the first Secretary of State for India) introduced another bill which was originally titled as "An Act for the Better Government of India" and it was passed on 2 August 1858. This act provided that India was to be governed directly and in the name of the Crown

Answer 2

Important features of the Indian government act of 1858

• The government of India act 1858, was proposed and passed in the British parliament that established the power of the Queen over India removing the East India Company.
• A council was set up that acted as the mainline of communication between the country and the Crown. The council was governed on behalf of the Crown and independent of the Company.
• The council was also responsible of selecting a governor-general and governors of the presidencies.  
• The council acted as an advisory panel to the secretary but he was not liable to heed to their advice. The GOI act of 1858 marked the beginning of a new age in the history of British Raj in India which remained unchanged till the time of independence in 1947.