ADMINSTRATION

Evolution and Reforms in Civil Services:

• The Regulating Act of 1773 brought the management of the East India Company under the control of the British Government. 
• Governor-General Lord Cornwallis, assuming office in February 1786, implemented a series of legal and administrative reforms. 
• In 1793, he introduced the Cornwallis Code to enhance the overall governance of the East India Company in India, separating revenue administration and judicial administration.
• Lord Cornwallis is often recognized as the Father of Civil Service in India, having reformed and reorganized the administration for the Company. 
• To combat widespread corruption among Company servants, he prohibited civil servants from accepting presents or bribes.
• He also increased their salaries and restricted private trade for such servants. 

Progress Made Under Lord Macaulay

• The Charter Act of 1833 permitted the inclusion of native Indians in the administration of British India.
• Under this act, India’s first Law Commission, chaired by Lord Macaulay, was established, advocating the codification of the Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code, and other legal provisions. 
• The introduction of a merit-based modern Civil Service in India occurred in 1854 following Lord Macaulay’s Report of the Select Committee of the British Parliament.
• The Macaulay Report recommended replacing the patronage-based system of the East India Company with a Permanent Civil Service based on merit, with entry through competitive examinations. 
• As a result, the Indian Civil Services Act of 1861 was enacted, allowing Indians to compete on an equal footing with the British in an open, merit-based recruitment process. 
• In 1864, Satyendra Nath Tagore became the first Indian to succeed in the exam.

Reforms Under Lord Dufferin

• Reforms under Lord Dufferin were influenced by the formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885, leading to a demand for simultaneous examinations in both India and London, along with a request to raise the upper age limit. 
• Responding to these demands from the Moderate faction of the Indian National Congress, Lord Dufferin appointed the Aitchison Committee on Public Services in 1886 to investigate the issues of civil services in India.
• While rejecting the idea of simultaneous examinations, the Aitchison Committee proposed the establishment of provincial civil services. 
• Members of this service would be recruited separately in each province, either through promotion from lower ranks or through other means.
• The Altchison Committee’s recommendations were embraced, and the covenanted civil service was officially designated as the Civil Service of India. Concurrently, the provincial service acquired names specific to each province.

 Lee Commission in 1923

• A significant progression in the evolution of civil services within India occurred with the establishment of the Lee Commission in 1923. Also recognized as the Royal Commission on the Superior Civil Services in India, it was appointed by the British government to assess the ethnic composition of the superior Indian public services under the Government of India. Notably, the commission consisted of an equal number of Indian and British members.

• Previously, the Islington Commission (1917) had proposed that 25% of higher government posts be allotted to Indians. 
• The Lee Commission, building upon this recommendation, scrutinized the Islington Commission’s findings and evaluated the existing status of two service groups—the All India Services and the Central Services. Provincial Services were excluded from consideration as they were already under the jurisdiction of provincial governments.
• Based on the Islington Commission’s suggestions, the Lee Commission advocated in 1924 that 20% of superior posts should be filled through promotions from provincial civil services. Out of the remaining 80%, 40% were to be occupied by British recruits, and the remaining 40% by directly recruited Indians.
• Furthermore, the Lee Commission, in its 1924 report, proposed the prompt establishment of the statutory Public Service Commission, as envisaged by the Government of India Act, 1919. Consequently, on October 1, 1926, the Public Service Commission was inaugurated in India for the first time.

Police Administration During British Rule

The Indian Councils Act of 1861 laid the foundation for a professional police bureaucracy in India, evolving under different Governors over the years.

Cornwallis System

• As the Company’s influence grew, the necessity for a police force dedicated to maintaining law and order became apparent. The transition from Faujdars to English Magistrates handling police functions proved insufficient in curbing crime. Recognizing this, Lord Cornwallis implemented significant reforms in the police organization.
• Cornwallis dismantled the policing powers of Zamindars and reorganized districts into thanas or police jurisdictions spanning twenty to thirty miles each.
• Each unit was supervised by an officer called the Darogas, appointed by magistrates.
• The Darogas became instrumental in enforcing the Company’s authority in rural areas, marking the inception of the Cornwallis System.

Changes Made in the 19th Century

• The Daroga system was officially abolished in 1812.
• Tehsildars lost their police duties in 1807, with the District Collector assuming control of village policing.
• This consolidation of power in the Collector’s office, overseeing revenue, police, and magisterial functions, became a notable feature.

Sind Model

• The prevailing system failed to effectively maintain law and order across the empire. In response, a new model was trialed in Sind following its annexation by Sir Charles Napier in 1843.
• The adaptation of ingenious systems to the requirements of the colonial state was abandoned.
• A distinct police department, complete with its officers, was established based on the model of the Royal Irish Constabulary, which was deemed well-suited for colonial conditions.
• The Sind model was expanded to Punjab in 1849, Bombay in 1853, and Madras in 1859, albeit with various modifications.

Police Reforms After 1857

• The Revolt of 1857 shook the foundations of the British Empire, prompting a heightened awareness of the necessity for efficient information collection and policing machinery across the Empire’s territories.
• The Police Commission appointed in 1860 laid the groundwork for the police establishment required by the Empire, resulting in the enactment of the Police Act of 1861.
• In the restructured organization, Military Police were phased out, and Civilian Police were organized on a provincial basis.
• The civilian authorities gained control over the entire police organization, with civil servants filling the positions of inspector generals for an extended period.
• District superintendents were tasked with overseeing rural police, and the Daroga assumed the role of sub-inspector.
• This new system effectively addressed the longstanding challenge of integrating rural police into the imperial structure.
• The Police Commission of 1902 introduced provisions for the appointment of educated Indians to positions as officers, albeit below the rank of European officers.
• Under colonial rule, the police gradually succeeded in reducing major crimes such as dacoity and preventing the organization of large-scale conspiracies against colonial rule.