Hi,

The Charter Act of 1833, which is also referred to as the Saint Helena Act, was a significant legislation that was enacted by the British Parliament and it altered the whole system of government in India. It is the act that brought about the first of many changes in how the British controlled India and it was the first step towards the present-day Indian government system.

Here are the main aspects of the charter act 1833-

1. It redesignated the Governor-General of Bengal as the Governor-General of India. Under this provision, Lord William Bentinck became the first Governor-General of India.
2. It deprived the Governors of Bombay and Madras of their legislative powers. For the first time, the Governor-General's Government was known as the 'Government of India' and his council as the 'India Council'. The Governor-General and his executive council were given exclusive legislative powers for the whole of British India.
3. It ended the activities of the British East India Company as a commercial body and it became a purely administrative body. In particular, the Company lost its monopoly on trade with China and other parts of the Far East.
4. It attempted to introduce a system of open competitions for the selection of civil servants. However, this provision was negated after opposition from the Court of Directors, who continued to hold the privilege of appointing Company officials.