 It was the first step in the centralization of India’s

administration.
 The ending of the East India Company’s commercial activities
and making it into the British Crown’s trustee in administering
India.
 Codification of laws under Macaulay.
 Provision for Indians in government service.
 Separation of the executive and the legislative functions of the
council.
 The company’s commercial activities were closed down. It was
made into an administrative body for British Indian possessions.
 The company’s trade links with China were also closed down.
 This act permitted the English to settle freely in India.
 This act legalized the British colonization of the country.
 The company still possessed the Indian territories but it was
held ‘in trust for his majesty’.
•India became a British colony

•Indian Law Commission

•Indians in Government service

Codification is the systematic process and reduction of the

whole body of law into a code in the form of enacted law .

Thus, the law which previously was in the shape of custom,
ancient texts, judicial decisions and fragmentary statues is
collected at one place.
 Creative code
 Consolidating code
 Combine code
 1. It has made the Governor-General of Bengal as the
Governor-General of India and vested in him all civil and
military powers. Thus, the act created, for the first time, a
Government of India having authority over the entire
territorial area possessed by the British in India. Lord William
Bentinck was the first governor-general of India.
 . It deprived the governor of Bombay and Madras of their
legislative powers. The Governor-General of India was given
exclusive legislative powers for the entire British India. The
laws made under the previous acts were called as
Regulations while laws made under this act were called as
Acts.
 3. It ended the activities of the East
India Company as a commercial body,
which became a purely administrative
body. It provided that the company’s
territories in India were held by it ‘in
trust for His Majesty, His heirs and
successors’.

 4. This Act attempted to introduce a

system of open competition for
selection of civil servants, and stated
that the Indians should not be debarred
from holding any place, office and
employment under the Company.
However, this provision was negated
after opposition from the Court of
Directors.
 This act allowed wider space to the
British in the India’s administration. It
ended the British India Company's
commercial activities and transformed
into the British Crown’s trustee in
administering India.