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30-660: The Council was established by the British government, under Regulating Act of 1773 . It consisted of four members. The Governor General was given a casting vote but no veto . It was appointed by the Court of Directors (board) of the East India Company. At times it also included the British military Commander-in-Chief of India (although this post was usually held concurrently by the Governor General). Hence

60-773: A judicial murder of Nanda Kumar. Impeachment proceedings against him along with Elijah Impey were initiated by the parliament. A lengthy attempted impeachment by Parliament lasted from 1788 to 1795 eventually ending with Hastings being acquitted. From 1774 (when the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William was founded) till 1782 (when Bengal Judicature Act of 1781 was passed), the Court claimed jurisdiction over any person residing in Bengal, Bihar or Orissa. This resulted in conflict of jurisdiction with Supreme Council of Bengal. The conflict came to an end with Parliament's passing of

90-552: A major theme of politics was the composition of the king's council. Barons frequently complained that they were inadequately represented, and efforts were made to change the council's membership. At the Oxford Parliament of 1258 , reformers forced a reluctant Henry to accept the Provisions of Oxford , which vested royal power in an elected council of fifteen barons. However, these reforms were ultimately overturned with

120-577: A system whereby the British government supervised the work of the EIC. Company shareholders opposed the Act, and the EIC was still a powerful lobbying group in Parliament despite its financial problems. Privy Council of England The Privy Council of England , also known as His (or Her ) Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council ( Latin : concilium familiare, concilium privatum et assiduum ),

150-780: The Act of Union 1800 the Kingdom of Ireland retained the Privy Council of Ireland , which came to an end only in 1922, when Southern Ireland separated from the United Kingdom, to be succeeded by the Privy Council of Northern Ireland . The sovereign, when acting on the council's advice, was known as the " King-in-Council " or "Queen-in-Council". The members of the council were collectively known as "The Lords of His [or Her] Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council", or sometimes "The Lords and others of ..."). The chief officer of

180-594: The East India Company (EIC) was in dire financial straits. The company was important to the British Empire because it was a monopoly trading company in India and the east, and many influential people were shareholders. The EIC paid £40,000 (equivalent to £46.1 million in 2015) annually to the government to maintain its monopoly but had been unable to meet its commitments since 1768 because of

210-642: The English Commonwealth , was established. The remaining house of Parliament, the House of Commons , instituted a Council of State to execute laws and to direct administrative policy. The forty-one members of the council were elected by the Commons; the body was headed by Oliver Cromwell , the de facto military dictator of the nation. In 1653, however, Cromwell became Lord Protector , and the Council

240-535: The Parliament of Great Britain intended to overhaul the management of the East India Company's rule in India (Bengal) . The Act did not prove to be a long-term solution to concerns over the company's affairs. Pitt's India Act was therefore subsequently enacted in 1784 as a more radical reform. It marked the first step towards parliamentary control over the company and centralised administration in India. By 1773,

270-690: The Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland; however, the two kingdoms continued to have separate privy councils. The Privy Council of Scotland continued in existence along with the Privy Council of England for more than a hundred years after the Union of the Crowns. By the end of the English Civil War , the monarchy, House of Lords and Privy Council had been abolished. A new government,

300-565: The Bengal Judicature Act of 1781. The act restricted the Supreme Court's jurisdiction to either those who lived in Calcutta, or to any British Subject in Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. This removed the Court's jurisdiction over any person residing in Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. The Regulating Act 1773 made presidencies of Bombay and Madras subordinate to Bengal. Governor-in-Council of Bombay and Madras presidencies were required to obey

330-559: The Maharaja Nanda Kumar affair - in which Nanda Kumar accused Hastings of fraud and high corruption . This attempt to impeach Hastings was unsuccessful and Nanda Kumar was hanged in 1775 after being found guilty of forgery by Supreme Court of Bengal in Calcutta . The trial was held under childhood friend of Hastings Sir Elijah Impey - India's first Chief Justice. The majority - Francis, Clavering and Monson - within

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360-741: The Presidency of Fort William in Bengal Presidency and the presidencies of Bombay and Madras were made subordinate to the Bengal Presidency. Prior to this all the three presidencies were independent of each other and was headed by Governor General and his Council or Governor-in-council. The act designated Governor of Bengal as the Governor of the Presidency of Fort William to serve as Governor General of all British Territories in India. It also added provision that Governor General

390-466: The Privy Council of England was abolished and replaced by the Privy Council of Great Britain . According to the Oxford dictionary the definition of the word "privy" in Privy Council is an obsolete one meaning "Of or pertaining exclusively to a particular person or persons; one's own", insofar as the council is personal to the sovereign. During the reign of Elizabeth I , the council is recorded under

420-687: The Protector's Council was abolished. Charles II restored the royal Privy Council, but he, like previous Stuart monarchs, chose to rely on a small committee of advisers. In 1708, one year after the Treaty and Acts of Union of 1707 created the Kingdom of Great Britain , the English privy council was abolished by the Parliament of Great Britain and thereafter there was one Privy Council of Great Britain sitting in London. Nevertheless, long after

450-412: The council ended with Monson's death in 1776. Clavering died a year later and Francis was left powerless, but he remained in India and strove to undermine Hastings' governance. The bitter rivalry between the two men culminated in a duel in 1780, where Hastings shot Francis in the back. Francis left India in the hope of impeaching Hastings in 1780. Hastings resigned in 1785 and was later accused of committing

480-519: The council was also known as Governor-General in Council . The Government of India Act 1833 formally separated the East India Company from political control, and the governor-general of Bengal became the governor general of India. Since the Government of India Act 1858 , the council was known as the Viceroy's Executive Council . The Regulating Act 1773 created the post of Governor-General of

510-541: The financially troubled EIC and improve its financial standing. Lord North overhauled the management of the India Company with the Regulating Act. The EIC had taken over large areas of India for trading purposes and had an army to protect its interests. Company men were not trained to govern, so North's government began moves towards government control since India was of national importance. The Act set up

540-579: The first head of the Supreme Council of Bengal. Other members of the council included Lt. General John Clavering , George Monson, Richard Barwell and Philip Francis . Philip Francis along with Monson and Clavering reached Calcutta in October 1774, and a conflict with Warren Hastings started almost immediately. These three members of the council opposed Hasting's policies as Governor General and accused him of corruption. The situation climaxed with

570-440: The judicial functions of the curia regis were delegated to two courts sitting at Westminster Hall : the Court of King's Bench and the Court of Common Pleas . By 1237, the curia regis had formally split into two separate councils–the king's council and Parliament ; though, they had long been separate in practice. The king's council was "permanent, advisory, and executive". It managed day to day government and included

600-416: The king's ministers and closest advisers. Its members always included a few barons , the great officers of state and royal household , and clerks, secretaries and other special counsellors (often friars and literate knights ). It was capable of drafting legislative acta —administrative orders issued as letters patent or letters close . During the reign of Henry III ( r.  1216–1272 ),

630-661: The king's victory in the Second Barons War . The council of Edward I ( r.  1272–1307 ) played a major role in drafting and proposing legislation to Parliament for ratification. Powerful sovereigns often used the body to circumvent the courts and Parliament. For example, a committee of the council – which later became the Court of the Star Chamber – was during the fifteenth century permitted to inflict any punishment except death, without being bound by normal court procedure. During Henry VIII's reign,

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660-561: The loss of tea sales to America . About 85% of all the tea in America was smuggled Dutch tea. The EIC owed money to both the Bank of England and the government. It had 15 million lbs (6.8 million kg) of tea rotting in British warehouses and more en route from India. The Regulating Act 1773, complemented by the Tea Act 1773, had the principal objective of reducing the surplus of tea held by

690-602: The orders of Governor General of Bengal. Governor-General-in-Council was given the power to make rules, ordinances and regulations. These rules and regulations were required to be registered with the Supreme court and could only be dissolved by the King-in-Council within 2 years. Regulating Act of 1773 The Regulating Act 1773 (formally, the East India Company Act 1772 ) was an Act of

720-402: The sovereign relied on a smaller committee, which later evolved into the modern Cabinet . The council developed significantly during the reign of Elizabeth I , gaining political experience, so that there were real differences between the Privy Council of the 1560s and that of the 1600s. Elizabeth I was succeeded by James I , who was already King James VI of Scotland. James' accession marked

750-410: The sovereign, on the advice of the council, was allowed to enact laws by mere proclamation. The legislative pre-eminence of Parliament was not restored until after Henry VIII's death. Though the royal council retained legislative and judicial responsibilities, it became a primarily administrative body. By the end of the six year reign of Edward VI in 1553, the council consisted of forty members. but

780-515: The title "The Queens Majesties Most Honourable Privy-Council". During the reign of the House of Normandy , the English monarch was advised by a curia regis ( Latin for "royal court"), which consisted of magnates , clergy and officers of the Crown . This body originally concerned itself with advising the sovereign on legislation, administration and justice. At certain times, the curia

810-499: Was a body of advisers to the sovereign of the Kingdom of England . Its members were often senior members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons , together with leading churchmen, judges, diplomats and military leaders. The Privy Council of England was a powerful institution, advising the sovereign on the exercise of the royal prerogative and on the granting of royal charters . It issued executive orders known as Orders in Council and also had judicial functions. In 1708,

840-487: Was enlarged by a general summons of magnates (the "great council" or magnum concilium in Latin), but as a smaller council the curia was in constant session and in direct contact with the king. Originally, important legal cases were heard coram rege (Latin for "in the presence of the king himself"). But the growth of the royal justice system under Henry II ( r.  1154–1189 ) required specialization, and

870-472: Was reduced to between thirteen and twenty-one members, all elected by the Commons. In 1657, the Commons granted Cromwell even greater powers, some of which were reminiscent of those enjoyed by monarchs. The council became known as the Protector's Privy Council; its members were appointed by the Lord Protector, subject to Parliament's approval. In 1659, shortly before the restoration of the monarchy ,

900-494: Was to be assisted by an executive council of four members and was given a casting vote but no veto. This changed the structure of Governor in-council where Governor General was the sole authority to a council of 5 members. The members could only be removed by the British Monarch on representation from Court of Directors. In 1774, Warren Hastings became the first Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William, hence,

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