What was/were the object/objects of Queen Victoria's Proclamation (1858)? To disclaim any intention to annex Indian States To place the Indian administration under the British Crown To regulate East India Company's trade with India Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Modern History : The Revolt Of 1857: First War Of Independence

Q 3 / 10

UPSC CSE Prelims 2014

What was/were the object/objects of Queen Victoria's Proclamation (1858)?

To disclaim any intention to annex Indian States
To place the Indian administration under the British Crown
To regulate East India Company's trade with India

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

EXPLANATION

Correct Option

The Queen's Proclamation of 1858, issued in the aftermath of the Revolt of 1857, marked a significant shift in British policy and administration in India. Its primary objectives included:

To disclaim any intention to annex Indian States: The Proclamation reversed the annexationist policies, notably Lord Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse, and assured Indian princely states that their territories would not be annexed. This aimed to secure the loyalty of Indian rulers and prevent future unrest.
To place the Indian administration under the British Crown: The Proclamation formally ended the rule of the East India Company and transferred the governance of India directly to the British Crown, initiating direct imperial rule.

Incorrect Options

Statement 3: To regulate East India Company's trade with India.

This was not an objective of the Proclamation. The East India Company had already lost its trade monopoly in India through the Charter Act of 1813, and its commercial functions were completely abolished by the Charter Act of 1833. By 1858, the Company was primarily an administrative body, and its trading activities were no longer a subject for regulation through this proclamation.

SOURCEIndia's Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra, Chapter 1: The First Major Challenge: The Revolt of 1857