The Parliamentary System in India began with which of the following acts?

The correct answer is Charter Act of 1853.

Confusion Points

• Since most of the provisions of the Government of India Act, 1935 was present in our Constitution. Hence, we are generally confused by this.
• Charter Act of 1853 served as the foundation of the modern parliamentary form of government.

Important Points

Charter Act of 1853

• This act served as the foundation of the modern parliamentary form of government.
• It separated, for the first time, the legislative and executive functions of the Governor-General’s council.
• It provided for the addition of six new members called legislative councilors to the council.
• In other words, it established a separate Governor-General’s legislative council which came to be known as the Indian (Central) Legislative Council.
• This legislative wing of the council functioned as a mini-Parliament, adopting the same procedures as the British Parliament. Thus, legislation, for the first time, was treated as a special function of the government, requiring special machinery and special process.

Key Points

Charter Act of 1853​

• It extended the company’s rule for an indefinite period, unlike the previous charter acts. Thus, it could be taken over by the British government at any time.
• The company’s influence was further reduced by this act. The Board of Directors now had 6 members who were Crown-nominated.
• It gave birth to the Indian civil services and was open to all including Indians. This ended the system of appointments by recommendation and started a system of open and fair competition.
• For the first time, local representation was introduced into the legislative council in the form of four members from the local governments of Bengal, Bombay, Madras, and North-Western Provinces.