Pitt’s India Act, 1784
Duration: 3 min
This video lesson is available to enrolled students.
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The video lecture provides a detailed overview of the historical background of the Indian Constitutional System. The instructor begins by presenting a comprehensive list of constitutional acts passed by the British Parliament, divided into two main categories: those under the Company's rule and those under the British Crown. The Company's rule section lists acts from 1773 to 1833, including the Regulating Act, Pitts India Act, and various Charter Acts. The British Crown section lists acts from 1858 to 1947. The instructor spends significant time explaining the Pitts India Act of 1784, using hand-drawn diagrams on the whiteboard to illustrate the Dual Administration system. He draws circles and arrows to show the interaction between the Board of Directors and the Board of Controllers.
Chapters
0:00 – 2:00 00:00-02:00
The instructor stands before a whiteboard listing constitutional acts. He points to the Company Rule section, specifically the 1781 Act of Settlement and the 1784 Pitts India Act. He draws diagrams with abbreviations like CC and 100C to illustrate the relationship between administrative bodies. He explains the concept of Dual Administration (दोहरे शासन) introduced by the Pitts India Act. The visible text includes '1765 इलाहाबाद की संधि' and lists of acts like '1773 रगुलेटिंग एक्ट' and '1781 का संशोधित अधिनियम'.
2:00 – 2:51 02:00-02:51
The view switches to a digital slide titled Constitutional System of India. The slide details the Pitts India Act of 1784, defining Dual Administration with the Board of Directors for business and Board of Controllers for politics. It also lists the Charter Acts of 1793 and 1813, highlighting that the 1793 Act paid directors' salaries from Indian revenue and the 1813 Act ended the company's monopoly except for tea and granted funds for education. The instructor points to these specific points on the screen.
The lecture provides a chronological overview of Indian constitutional history, starting from the Regulating Act of 1773. The core focus is on the structural changes brought by the Pitts India Act of 1784, which established a dual system of control where the Board of Directors managed business and the Board of Controllers managed politics. The instructor then bridges this to the Charter Acts, explaining how the company's powers were gradually restricted and how the British government increased its oversight. Key details include the 1793 Act's provision for paying directors from Indian revenue and the 1813 Act's end of the monopoly and grant of Rs. 1 lakh for education, setting the stage for direct Crown rule later.