Charter Act of 1793
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| Long title | An Act for continuing in the East India Company for a further Term the Possession of the British Territories in India, together with their exclusive Trade under certain Limitations; for establishing further Regulations for the Government of the said Territories, and the better Administration of Justice within the same; for appropriating to certain Uses the Revenues and Profits of the said Company, and for making Provision for the good Order and Government of the Towns of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay |
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| Citation | 33 Geo. 3 c. 52 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Government of India Act 1915 |
Status: Repealed | |
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The East India Company Act 1793, also known as the Charter Act of 1793, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which renewed the charter issued to the British East India Company (EIC), and continued the Company's rule in India.
Provisions
In contrast with legislation concerning British India proposed in the preceding two decades, the 1793 Act "passed with minimal trouble".[2] The Act made only fairly minimal changes to either the system of government in India or British oversight of the Company's activities. Most importantly, the Company's trade monopoly was continued for a further 20 years. Salaries for the staff and paid members of the Board of Control were also now charged to the Company. Other provisions of the Act included:
- The Governor-General was granted extensive powers over the subordinate presidencies.
- The Governor-General's power of over-ruling his council was affirmed, and extended over the Governors of the subordinate presidencies.
- Senior officials were forbidden from leaving India without permission.
- Royal approval was mandated for the appointment of the Governor-General, the governors, and the Commander-in-Chief.
- The EIC was empowered to grant licences to both individuals and Company employees to trade in India[3] (known as the "privilege" or "country" trade), which paved the way for shipments of opium to China.
The Company's charter was next renewed by the Charter Act of 1813.
See also
References
- ↑ Short title as conferred by the Short Titles Act 1896, s. 1; the modern convention for the citation of short titles omits the comma after the word "Act".
- ↑ A Constitutional History of India 1600–1935, Arthur Berriedale Keith, Methuen, London, 1936, p. 100
- ↑ Brewster, David (1832), The Edinburgh Encyclopædia, 11, J. and E. Parker, p. 275