Anti-defection law: Purpose and Evaluation
What is the anti-defection law? The anti-defection law deals with situations of defection in Parliament or state legislatures by:(a) members of a political party, (b) independent members,…
What’s a ‘whip’, and what does it do?
What is a whip? The term whip is derived from the old British practice of “whipping in” lawmakers to follow the party line. A whip in parliamentary…
Electoral Bond
What is an electoral bond? An electoral bond is designed to be a bearer instrument like a Promissory Note — in effect, it will be similar to…
Constitutional Torts – Definition and Development
Constitutional Tort doctrine is an innovative jurisprudence developed by the courts. Its existence ensures that the State or its functionaries do not misuse the powers vested in…
Government of India Act of 1858 – Act for the Good Government of India
The 1857 revolt had exposed the Company’s limitations in administering under a complex situation. Till then, there had not been much accountability. The 1858 Act sought to…
Charter Act of 1853 – the last of the series of Charter Acts
This was the last of the series of Charter Acts passed by the British Parliament between 1793 and 1853. It was a significant constitutional landmark. Features of…
Charter Act of 1833 – the final step towards centralisation
Charter Act of 1833 was the final step towards centralisation in British India. This was also called the Government of India Act 1833 or the Saint Helena…
Charter Act of 1813
In England, the business interests were pressing for an end to the Company’s monopoly over trade in India because of a spirit of laissez-faire and the continental…
Charter Act of 1793
The features of this Act were as follows: (a) It extended the overriding power given to Lord Cornwallis over his council, to all future Governor-Generals and Governors…
Act of 1786
In 1786, Lord Cornwallis ( Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis) took charge as the Governor-General of Fort William (Bengal) and as the Commander-in-Chief of British India. Before…