The transfer of Government from the ‘Company’ to the ‘Crown’ was pronounced by Lord Canning (November 1,1858) at

Q. The transfer of Government from the ‘Company’ to the ‘Crown’ was pronounced by Lord Canning (November 1,1858) at

1. Patna
2. Calcutta
3. Allahabad
4. Delhi

Answer: C. Allahabad

Queen Victoria’s Proclamation – November 1, 1858

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To declare the assumption of the Government of India by the crown a Durbar was held at Allahabad on November 1, 1858, by the Viceroy Lord Canning. Queen`s proclamation was read by Lord Canning. As per the proclamation, the administration of India came into the direct hands of British Government. The Queen`s proclamation of 1858 was the landmark in the constitutional history of India. The proclamation guaranteed the Indian Princes about their position. The proclamation also gave an assurance that the British Servants will not interfere in the religious affairs of the Indians. This proclamation is called Magna Charta of India.

Government of India Act 1858

The Government of India Act 1858 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (21 & 22 Vict. c. 106) passed on August 2, 1858. Its provisions called for the liquidation of the British East India Company (who had up to this point been ruling British India under the auspices of Parliament) and the transference of its functions to the British Crown. Lord Palmerston, then-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, introduced a bill for the transfer of control of the Government of India from the East India Company to the Crown, referring to the grave defects in the existing system of the government of India. However, before this bill was to be passed, Palmerston was forced to resign on another issue. Later Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby (who would later become the first Secretary of State for India) introduced another bill which was originally titled as “An Act for the Better Government of India” and it was passed on August 2, 1858. This act provided that India was to be governed directly and in the name of the Crown.
Viceroy was made responsible to Secretary of State for India. Viceroy was to be a direct representative of the British Crown in India. Lord Canning thus became the first Viceroy of India.