SSC
Under Pitt's India Act of 1784, the 'Board of Control', set up to control the affairs of the East India Company, had:
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Answer: Option D — Six members
Detailed Solution
Under Pitt's India Act of 1784, the "Board of Control" was set up with six members (commissioners) to supervise and control the civil, military and revenue affairs of the East India Company in India.
About Pitt's India Act, 1784:
- It was passed by the British Parliament during the prime ministership of William Pitt the Younger.
- It was passed to correct the defects of the Regulating Act of 1773 and to increase the British government's control over the Company's affairs in India.
It created a "dual system of control" (also called "double government"):
- The "Board of Control", representing the British government, which controlled political affairs.
- The "Court of Directors", representing the Company, which managed commercial affairs.
Composition of the Board of Control:
- It had six members: the Chancellor of the Exchequer, one of the Secretaries of State, and four members of the Privy Council, appointed by the King.
- Its President was in practice the most powerful member; Henry Dundas was one of its early and most influential presidents.
- It had the power to supervise, direct and control all the acts, operations and concerns relating to the civil and military government and the revenues of the Company's territories in India.
Other provisions of Pitt's India Act:
- The Governor-General's Council was reduced to three members (including the Commander-in-Chief).
- The presidencies of Bombay and Madras were placed under the Governor-General of Bengal in matters of war, diplomacy and revenue.
- For the first time, the Company's territories in India were called "British possessions in India".
- A "Secret Committee" of three directors was set up to communicate secret orders from the Board of Control to India.
End of the Board of Control:
- The Government of India Act, 1858, passed after the Revolt of 1857, ended the rule of the East India Company.
- It abolished the Board of Control and the Court of Directors and created the office of the "Secretary of State for India", assisted by a 15-member "Council of India".
- Lord Stanley became the first Secretary of State for India.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Four members is not correct; four were Privy Councillors, plus two others.
- ✗Twelve members is not correct.
- ✗Twenty-four members was the size of the Court of Directors of the Company.
Quick tip
Remember: Pitt's India Act 1784 = Board of Control with six members (dual government with the Court of Directors); Regulating Act 1773; GoI Act 1858 = Secretary of State for India with a 15-member Council of India.
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British Acts & Policies — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of British Acts & Policies, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the constitutional and administrative acts passed during British rule, from the Regulating Act of 1773 and Pitt's India Act of 1784 to the Charter Acts, the Indian Councils Acts, the Government of India Acts of 1919 and 1935, and the Indian Independence Act of 1947, along with British economic, land revenue and education policies. Exam questions usually ask what a particular act introduced: the Indian Councils Act 1909 introduced separate electorates for Muslims, the Government of India Act 1919 brought dyarchy to the provinces, and the 1935 Act provided for a federation and provincial autonomy. Land revenue systems (Permanent Settlement, Ryotwari and Mahalwari) and education milestones such as Wood's Despatch (1854) are also tested. Practise the British acts and policies questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.