Sambhav-2025

Approach Introduce the dual role of civil services, police, and judiciary under British rule. Explain their governance functions and how they ensured imperial control with examples. Summarize their dual purpose effectively.

Introduction

Under British rule, the civil services, police, and judiciary evolved into institutional pillars that served the dual purpose of governance and imperial control. While ostensibly aimed at administering a vast and diverse territory, these institutions were primarily designed to strengthen British hegemony by ensuring effective resource extraction, law enforcement, and suppression of dissent.

Body

Civil Services:

• Governance:
  • Facilitated constitutional reforms through the Regulating Acts, Charter Acts, and Government of India Acts, while promoting local governance via municipal reforms, enhancing administrative efficiency and control.
  • The Indian Civil Services (ICS) provided administrative stability through efficient tax collection and resource management.
  • Codification of laws (e.g., Indian Penal Code, 1860) and introduction of Western education (Wood’s Despatch, 1854) ensured centralized governance.
• Imperial Control:
  • Policies like Permanent Settlement (1793) ensured stable revenue but exploited farmers.
  • ICS officers acted as instruments of surveillance, reporting nationalist activities and enforcing colonial laws (e.g., Vernacular Press Act, 1878).
  • Merit-based recruitment excluded most Indians, keeping the system pro-colonial.

Police:

• Governance:
  • The Police Act of 1861 created a structured force to maintain law and order and protect trade routes.
  • Helped in reducing crime and supporting judicial processes in local disputes.
• Imperial Control:
  • Suppressed political dissent during events like the Revolt of 1857 and Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22).
  • Repressive measures under laws like the Rowlatt Act (1919) empowered the police to stifle civil liberties.

Judiciary:

• Governance:
  • Established institutions like the Supreme Court (1774) and subordinate courts for legal predictability in commerce and disputes.
  • The judiciary ensured predictability in laws for commerce and personal disputes through codified systems like the Indian Penal Code (1860).
  • Provided infrastructure for trade and resolution of legal disputes.
• Imperial Control:
  • Facilitated repression under colonial laws like the Rowlatt Act (1919), legitimizing arrests and curbing freedoms.
  • Unequal trials showcased judicial bias in favor of British interests.

How These Institutions Served Dual Purposes Simultaneously:

• The civil services provided governance but ensured British supremacy through policies like high taxation.
• The police enforced law and order while suppressing uprisings, such as the Santhal Rebellion (1855-56).
• The judiciary, while fostering legal predictability, became a tool for perpetuating colonial control, as seen in cases restricting nationalist movements.

Conclusion

The civil services, police, and judiciary under British rule were not just administrative tools but also mechanisms of imperial control. While contributing to some modernization, they primarily upheld British dominance by exploiting resources, stifling dissent, and consolidating colonial authority, leaving a legacy of centralized administration in post-independence India.