Government of India Act 1858
The Government of India Act 1858 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (21 & 22 Vict. c. 106) passed on 2 August 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 transferral of its functions to the British Crown.
| Act of Parliament | |
Parliament of the United Kingdom | |
| Long title | An Act for the better Government of India. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 21 & 22 Vict. c. 106 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 2 August 1858 |
| Commencement | 1 November 1858 |
| Other legislation | |
| Relates to | |
Status: Amended | |
Lord Palmerston, then-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, introduced a bill in 1858 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.
Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby (who would later become the first Secretary of State for India), subsequently introduced another bill which was titled "An Act for the Better Governance 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.