5-642: The Cutch Agency was one of the agencies of British India . The appointed Political Agent looked after only one territory, that of the princely state of Cutch , which had a surface of 19,725 square kilometres (7,616 sq mi), not including the Rann of Kutch . The agency's headquarters were at Bhuj , where the Political Agent used to reside. He reported to the Political Department office at Bombay , Bombay Presidency . The agency
10-580: The Viceroy of India . The agencies varied in character from fully autonomous self-governing dependencies such as princely states , where the agent functioned mainly as a representative of the Viceroy, to tribal tracts which were integral parts of the British Empire and where the agent was completely in charge of law and order. The agent of a protected tract or princely state usually lived outside
15-668: The population of the state of Cutch decreased from 558,415 inhabitants in 1891 to 488,022 in 1901, owing to the famine. On 10 October 1924 the Cutch Agency was abolished and merged into the Western India States Agency . 23°54′N 70°22′E / 23.900°N 70.367°E / 23.900; 70.367 Agencies of British India An agency of British India was an internally autonomous or semi-autonomous unit of British India whose external affairs were governed by an agent designated by
20-557: The territory in his charge, as opposed to a Resident who usually lived within his confines and was frequently the District Collector of the adjoining British district. Civil and criminal justice in agencies were usually administered through locally made laws, and the Indian Penal Code was not applicable by default in these agencies. Political agencies were created, merged or abolished at different times during
25-488: Was formed in 1819 when Cutch State became a British protectorate . Captain James MacMurdo was first appointed Political Agent, as Collector and Resident of Cutch. He worked from his office at Anjar while the capital of Cutch State was located away at Bhuj . The progressive prosperity of Cutch was devastated by the famine of 1899-1900, which was felt everywhere with extreme severity; between 1891 and 1901
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