The Act of 1858 ,and transfer of power as a formal change

 The Government of India Act 1858, marked the beginning of new chapter in the constitutional history of India. The Act also known as the Act for the Good Government of India, provided for liquidation of East India Company, and transferred the powers of government, territories and revenues to the British Crown
The Court of Directors and the Board of Control were scrapped .The powers of the company’s Court of Directors were vested with the Secretary of State for India.This Secretary of State was to be a British MP and a member of the Prime Minister’s cabinet. He was to be assisted by a council of 15 members.
Under this act The Governor General received the title of viceroy .He became the direct representative of the crown .Appointments to the covenanted civil services were to be made by open competition under rules laid down by The secretary of state with the help of civil service commissioners.
The assumption of Government of India by the crown in 1858 was rather a formal than a substantial change .The crown had been steadily increasing its control over company’s affairs since the beginning of its territorial sovereignty .The main rules under which India was governed before the passing of the act of 1858 were already those of the British parliament .
The British administrators ,including the Governor –General ,though nominally the servants of the company’s Board of control knew that in reality they were answerable to the British cabinet with its Indian minister who was the president of Board of control and through them to parliament .
Beginning from the regulating act ,a series of statutes(of 1784,1793,1813,1833,and 1853) had progressively reduced the the powers of the ourt of directors ,till they had become just nominal.
The charter act of 1813 and 1833 had explicitly declared the sovereignty of the crown over the territories acquired by the company and the charter act of 1853 declared that the company was to hold the territories and revenues of India in trust for crown till it was determined otherwise .The company in other words ,had been dead as a political power long before 1858,but its skin was still preserved as though it was still alive.

By: Ankush Sharma