Warren Hastings

  • Warren Hastings (1732 – 1818) became the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal) in 1772 and the first Governor-General of Bengal in 1774 till he resigned in 1785.
  • He started his career as a writer (clerk) in the East India Company at Calcutta in 1750.
  • In 1758, he became the British resident at Murshidabad, the capital of Bengal, after Mir Jafar was installed as the Nawab after the Battle of Plassey.
  • During his term, the  First Anglo-Maratha war and the second Anglo-Mysore war were fought.
  • The Regulating Act of 1773 was passed during his term.
  • He supported Sir William Jones in the formation of the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1785.

Abolition of the Dual System

  • Hastings abolished the Dual System that had been established by Robert Clive. In the Dual System, the company had Diwani rights (rights to collect revenue) and the Nizam or Indian chiefs had the administrative authority.
  • The Nawab’s annual allowance of Rs.32 lakh was reduced to Rs.16 lakh.
  • The annual tribute paid to the Mughal Emperor was also stopped.

Revenue Reforms

  • For revenue collection, a Board of Revenue was set up at Calcutta.
  • Treasury was moved from Murshidabad to Calcutta. Calcutta became Bengal’s capital in 1772.
  • British collectors were appointed for each district and an Accountant General was also appointed.
  • Unreasonable fines were done away with and restrictions were placed on the raising of rent.

Judicial Reforms

  • The judicial powers of the Zamindars were abolished.
  • Civil and criminal courts were established. Two appellate courts were established at Calcutta, one for civil (Sadar Diwani Adalat) and one for criminal (Sadar Nizamat Adalat) cases.
  • The criminal court was to have an Indian judge.
  • Muslims were to be tried according to their law in the Koran and Hindus, according to Hindu laws. A code of Hindu Law, prepared by Hindu Pandits was translated into English.
  • He also came down heavily on the dacoits in Bengal.

Trade Regulations

  • Hastings abolished the system of dastaks which were misused by company officials and traders earlier.
  • He enforced a uniform tariff of 2.5% for Indian and foreign goods.
  • Private trade by company officials was restricted.

Impeachment of Warren Hastings

·         The Impeachment of Warren Hastings failed in 1788 in the Parliament of Great Britain. Hastings was cited for wrongdoing during his tenure in Calcutta. It was related to mismanagement and private depravity.

·         Trial on Warren Hastings was delayed for seven years. When the eventual verdict was given Hastings was overwhelmingly acquitted.

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