The East India Company had been effectively in charge of trade and government in the Indian subcontinent since it was first colonised, having been granted a Royal Charter by Elizabeth I in 1600. In 1853, an Act of Parliament renewed their powers, allowing them to hold the British Indian territories in trust for the Crown, but without specifying how long this would remain the case. In the event, the distribution of power in India was drastically reshaped only a few years later, in the aftermath of the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The following year, India was made a direct possession of the British Crown, and the East India Company was stripped of its powers.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Government of India Act". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 August 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=4955, accessed 23 November 2024.]
