What was the role of the India Council established by the Government of India Act, 1858?
To advise the Secretary of State
The Government of India Act, 1858 abolished the East India Company's rule and transferred the government of India to the British Crown. It created a new office, the Secretary of State for India (a British Cabinet minister), to exercise the powers formerly held by the Company and the Board of Control.
To assist this minister, the Act set up a 15-member India Council (Council of India). Its role was purely advisory: it advised and assisted the Secretary of State in the administration of Indian affairs.
Why the others are wrong: controlling trade with India was a function of the old East India Company, abolished by this very Act. Representing Indian opinion in Britain was not its purpose; the Council members were largely retired British officials, not Indian representatives. Reviewing court judgments was a judicial function (handled by bodies like the Privy Council), not by the India Council.
Hence, the answer is to advise the Secretary of State.
Similar Questions
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The Federal Court of India, as provided under the Government of India Act 1935, was established in the year ___. - Fill in the blank:
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Important Questions from Changes in Indian Administration after 1858
In which of the following years were the Mont-Ford Reforms report presented by the British colonial government in India?
Which of the following Acts of the British Parliament stated that a member of the British Cabinet was appointed Secretary of State for India?
The Constitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950. Which act or governing document did it replace?
After the revolt of 1857, the title of 'Empress of India' was given to the Queen of England in:
The power to rule in India was transferred from the British East India Company to the British Parliament in which of the following years?
