Acts passed in British India

British rule in India prevailed from 1857 to 1947 i.e., Britishers ruled on Indians for almost 200 years. To further segregate this, East India Company ruled from 1757-1858 and the Crown Rule was from 1858-1947. The Britishers’ rule was also known as Crown rule in India. Some of the legislations that were passed in India during British rule are as follows.

1.     Regulating Act of 1773
2.     Charter Act, 1793
3.     Criminal Jurisdiction Act, 1802
4.     Charter Act, 1813
5.     Bengal Regulation III, 1818
6.     Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829
7.     Thuggee and Dacoity Suppression Acts, 1836-48
8.     Indian Slavery Act, 1843
9.     Caste Disabilities Removal Act, 1850
10.   Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, 1856
11.   Government of India Act, 1858
12.   Societies Registration act, 1860
13.   The Paper Currency Act, 1861
14.   Female Infanticide Prevention Act, 1870
15.   Indian Contract Act, 1872
16.   East India Stock Dividend Redemption Act, 1873
17.   Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881
18.   Transfer of Property Act, 1882
19.   Indian Treasure Trove Act, 1878
20.   Age of Consent Act, 1891
21.   Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 1891
22.   Indian Councils Act, 1892
23.   Punjab Land Alienation Act, 1900
24.   Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904
25.   Prevention of Seditious Meetings Act, 1907
26.   Indian Councils Act, 1909
27.   Indian Press Act, 1910
28.   Government of India Act, 1912
29.   Ingress into India Ordinance, 1914
30.   Government of India Act, 1915
31.   Defence of India Act, 1915
32.   Government of India Act, 1919
33.   Indian Forest Act, 1927
34.   Hindu Inheritance (Removal of Disabilities) Act, 1928
35.   Indian Sale of Goods Act, 1930
36.   The Indian Partnership Act, 1932
37.   Government of India Act, 1935
38.   The Foreigners Act, 1946
39.   Indian Independence Act, 1947
40.   Industrial Disputes Act, 1947
41.   Sindh land Alienation Bill, 1947
42.   Frontier Crimes Regulation
43.   Child Marriage Restraint Act
44.   Criminal Tribes Act
45.   Bengal Criminal Law Amendment
46.   Dramatic Performances Act
47.   Hindu Personal law
48.   Ilbert Bill
49.   Indian Evidence Act
50.   Indian Penal Code
51.   Jain Law
52.   Murderous Outrages Regulation
53.   Official Secrets Act (India)
54.   Pitt’s India Act
55.   Rowlatt Act
56.   Vernacular Press Act

Here is a little brief about all the acts passed in British India.

1. Regulating Act of 1773

The Regulating Act of 1773 was enacted by the British Parliament to regulate the East India Company’s governance in India.

2. Charter Act, 1793

The Charter Act 1793, commonly known as the East India Company Act 1793, was an Act of the British Parliament that extended the British East India Company’s charter (EIC).

3. Criminal Jurisdiction Act, 1802

The Act established the Court of King’s Bench to try and punish colonial administrators and military personnel for past, present, and future offenses. It also allowed that court to use a writ of mandamus to acquire evidence from governors, local courts, and others in the region where the offense occurred.

4. Charter Act, 1813

This Act declared the Crown’s dominion over British India, provided 100,000 rupees, and allowed Christian missionaries to preach their faith in English. The Act also enhanced the power of Indian province governments and courts over European British subjects, and financial provisions were provided to stimulate a resurgence of Indian literature and the advancement of science.

5.  Bengal Regulation III, 1818

This statute allowed the government to hold someone indefinitely without having to put them on trial if they were suspected of having criminal intent.

6. Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829

This rule declared the practice of sati unlawful and punishable in all Indian jurisdictions.

7. Thuggee and Dacoity Suppression Acts, 1836-48

This series of laws made the Thuggee and Dacoity illegal and stated punishments for the same.

8. Indian Slavery Act, 1843

The statute specifies that the sale of any individual as a slave is prohibited, and that anybody who buys or sells slaves would be charged with a serious crime under the Indian Penal Code.

9. Caste Disabilities Removal Act, 1850

All rules impeding the rights of persons changing to another religion or caste were repealed by this Act. The new Act provided Hindus who converted from Hinduism to another faith with similar legal rights, particularly in the area of inheritance.

10. Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, 1856

This law made widow remarriage permissible in all Indian provinces under East India Company administration.

11. Government of India Act, 1858

The clauses of this statute called for the British East India Company to be liquidated and its powers to be transferred to the British Crown.

12. Societies Registration act, 1860

This Act permits the registration of entities that benefit society in some way, such as education, health, and employment.

13. The Paper Currency Act, 1861

The East India Company government became the exclusive issuer of banknotes in India once the Act was passed.

14. Female Infanticide Prevention Act, 1870

This law prevented the murders of female infants

15. Indian Contract Act, 1872

This legislation establishes the conditions under which promises made by contracting parties are legally enforceable.

16. East India Stock Dividend Redemption Act, 1873

This act was passed to dissolve the East India Company, formally

17. Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881

These were used in trade and credit transactions, as well as remittance instruments for sending money from one location to another.

18. Transfer of Property Act, 1882

It specifies what defines a transfer as well as the requirements that must be met.

19. Indian Treasure Trove Act, 1878

According to this regulation, the discovery of any treasure must notify the most senior local authority about the “type and quantity or approximate worth of such treasure and the location where it was located.”

20. Age of Consent Act, 1891

In all jurisdictions, this Act increased the age of consent for sexual intercourse for all females, married or single, from ten to twelve years, with violations punishable as rape.

21. Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 1891

This Act specifies that when a bank or banker is required to present evidence to a court or judge, the original papers are not required to be produced, and a copy of the original documents is adequate for legal reasons.

22. Indian Councils Act, 1892

The Act changed the makeup and role of legislative councils, as well as increasing the number of members in both the federal and provincial councils.

23. Punjab Land Alienation Act, 1900

This Act limited the transfer of ownership of land to Punjab Province

24. Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904

This act preserves and protects the ancient monuments

25. Prevention of Seditious Meetings Act, 1907

This is an Act to provide better provisions for the prohibition of public meetings that are likely to incite sedition or produce a public disturbance.

26. Indian Councils Act, 1909

The legislation established legislative council elections and allowed Indians to serve on the Indian Secretary’s, Viceroy’s, and executive councils of Bombay and Madras states.

27. Indian Press Act, 1910

This Act was a British Indian law that imposed rigorous control on all types of publications.

28. Government of India Act, 1912

This act made changes in the British governance.

29. Ingress into India Ordinance, 1914

This legislation gave the Indian government the power to inspect, imprison, and limit anyone returning to India.

30. Government of India Act, 1915

Prior Acts of Parliament involving British India were unified into a single legislation by this Act.

31. Defense of India Act, 1915

The Governor-General of India created this emergency criminal statute in 1915 with the goal of suppressing nationalist and revolutionary activity during and after World War I.

32. Government of India Act, 1919

This law was passed in order to increase Indian involvement in the Indian administration.

33. Indian Forest Act, 1927

The legislation aimed to consolidate and conserve areas with forest cover or significant wildlife, as well as restrict the movement and transit of forest production and impose a levy on timber and other forest products.

34. Hindu Inheritance (Removal of Disabilities) Act, 1928

This legislation was passed to end the exclusion of certain types of heirs from inheritance and to remove any concerns about their capacity to inherit property.

35. Indian Sale of Goods Act, 1930

This legislation establishes transactions in which the seller sells or promises to transfer title in exchange for compensation.

36. The Indian Partnership Act, 1932

This act mentions all the regulations to be in a partnership deed.

37. Government of India Act, 1935

This Act was the British Parliament’s longest act and hence it was later split into two.

38. The Foreigners Act, 1946

This legislation was adopted to provide the Interim Government of India specific powers in areas concerning foreigners in India.

39. Indian Independence Act, 1947

This Act divided British ruled India into two sovereignties, India and Pakistan

40. Industrial Disputes Act, 1947

An act to provide for the investigation and resolution of labour disputes, as well as for other reasons.

Conclusion:

Though British rule was tough for India and Indians had to fight to get their country back, the one thing that can be appraised of them is that they were very much organized and had regulations for everything in place which ultimately helped India build its own constitution.