Imperial Legislative Council

The Imperial Legislative Council (ILC) was the legislature of British India from 1861 to 1947. It was established under the Charter Act of 1853 by providing for the addition of 6 additional members to the Governor General Council for legislative purposes. Thus, the act separated the legislative and executive functions of the council and it was this body within the Governor General's Council which came to known as the Indian/Central Legislative Council. In 1861 it was renamed as Imperial Legislative Council and the strength was increased.

Imperial Legislative Council

Unicameral (1861–1919)
Bicameral (1919–1947)

Council of State (upper)
Central Legislative Assembly (lower)

Council of State: 5 years
Central Legislative Assembly: 3 years

1861 (1861)

14 August 1947 (14 August 1947)

Governor-General's Council

Constituent Assembly of India
Constituent Assembly of Pakistan

145 seats in Central Legislative Assembly(Lower House) and 60 seats in Council of States(Upper House)

It succeeded the Council of the Governor-General of India, and was succeeded by the Constituent Assembly of India and after 1950, was succeeded by Parliament of India.

During the rule of the East India Company, the council of the Governor-General of India had both executive and legislative responsibilities. The council had four members elected by the Court of Directors. The first three members were permitted to participate on all occasions, but the fourth member was only allowed to sit and vote when legislation was being debated. In 1858, the British Crown took over the administration from the East India Company. The council was transformed into the Imperial Legislative Council, and the Court of Directors of the Company, which had the power to elect members of the Governor-General's Council, ceased to have this power. Instead, the one member who had a vote only on legislative questions came to be appointed by the Sovereign, and the other three members by the Secretary of State for India.

Predecessors[edit]

The Regulating Act of 1773 limited the influence of the Governor-General of India and established the Council of Four, elected by the East India Company's Court of Directors. Pitt's India Act of 1784 reduced the membership to three, and also established the India Board.

Raja Sir Deo Narayan Singh of Benaras (Jan 1862–1866)

of Patiala (Jan 1862 – Nov 1862)

Maharaja Narinder Singh

(Jan 1862–1864)

Dinkar Rao

Nawab of Rampur (Sep 1863–1864)

Yusef Ali Khan

Maharaja Sir Mirza Gajapati Viziaram, Raj Bahadur of Vizianagram (Jan 1864–1866)(Apr 1872–1876)

Bir Bar Raja Sir Sahib Dayal of Kishen Kot (Jan 1864–1866)

Raja of Burdwan (Nov 1864–1867)

Mahtabchand Bahadur

Nawab of Rampur (Jan 1867-)(1878–1887)

Kalb Ali Khan

Nawab of Dacca (Dec 1867–1869)

Khwaja Abdul Ghani

(Dec 1867–1873)

Prasanna Coomar Tagore

Raja Sheoraj Singh of Kashipur (Jan 1868–1870)

Maharaja of Jaipur (Aug 1868–1870) and (Aug 1871–1875)

Ram Singh II

Digvijay Singh, Raja of Balrampur (Oct 1868–1870)

(Feb 1873–1875)

Ramanath Tagore

Raja Shamsher Parkash of

Sirmur

Maharaja of Benaras (1876)

Ishwari Prasad Narayan Singh

(1876)

Sir Narendra Krishna Deb

Nawab Bahadur of Pahasu (Dec 1877)

Muhammad Faiz Ali Khan

(1878–1882)

Syed Ahmad Khan

(Bengal Zamindars) (1880–1881)

Jatindramohan Tagore

(1880)

Raghubir Singh of Jind

of Benaras

Raja Sivaprasad

Durga Charan Laha, Maharaja of Shyampukur (1882-1889)

(1883)

Kristo Das Pal

(1883–1885)

Syed Ameer Ali

(1884–1887)^[6]

Vishvanath Narayan Mandlik

(1885-1888)

Lakshmeshwar Singh

Peary Mohan Mukherjea (1885-1888)

Syud Ameer Hossain (1886-1889)

(1886)

Mohammad Amir Hasan Khan

Sir Shankar Bakhsh Singh (1886-1888)

(1886-1888)

Dinshaw Maneckji Petit

Nawab Nawazish Ali Khan (Jul 1887-Sep 1888)

(1888-1889)

Pusapati Ananda Gajapati Raju

Muhammad Ali Khan (1889-1891)

(1889)

Khem Singh Bedi

(1890-1892)

Khwaja Ahsanullah

Sir (1890-1891)

Romesh Chandra Mitra

Krishnaji Lakshman Nulkar, Bombay (1890–1891)

(1891-1892)

Udai Pratap Singh of Bhinga

(1892)

Rashbihari Ghosh

(1892)

P. Chentsal Rao

Bombay (1893–1896) (1898–1901)

Pherozeshah Mehta

Bengal (1893–1898)

Lakshmeshwar Singh

Punjab nominated (1893–1897), Punjab (1897–1905)

Khem Singh Bedi

(1893)

Udai Pratap Singh of Bhinga

Fazulbhai Vishram, Bombay nominated (1893–)

Central Provinces nominated (1893–1909)

Gangadhar Rao Chitnavis

(1893–)

Mir Humayun Jah Bahadur

(1894–1908)

Rashbihari Ghosh

Babu Mohini Mohan Roy (1894)

Madras (1895–1903)

P. Ananda Charlu

Bombay (1896–1898)

Rahimtulla M. Sayani

Nawab Amiruddin Ahmad Khan of (1897)

Loharu

Balwant Rao Bhuskute, Central Provinces (1896–1897)

Pandit Bishambar Nath (1897)

Joy Gobind Laha (1897)

Nawab Bahadur of Pahasu, North-West Provinces (1898–1900)

Nawab Faiyaz Ali Khan

Bengal nominated (1899–1904), Bengal (1904–)

Rameshwar Singh Bahadur

Bengal Chamber of Commerce (1900–1903)

Apcar Alexander Apcar

(1902–1908)^[7]

Syed Hussain Bilgrami

Raja of Sirmur (1902–1907)

Surindar Bikram Prakash Bahadur

nominated (1903)

Aga Khan III

Bombay (1903–1909)

Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Bengal Chamber of Commerce (1903–)

Ernest Cable

Rai Bahadur, United Provinces (1903–)

Sri Ram

Central Provinces (1903–)

Bipin Krishna Bose

Wadero Ghulam Kadir M.B.E Nominated Ratodero Larrkanao(1913)

Madras (1903–1909)

Nawab Syed Muhammad Bahadur

Punjab (1904)

Nawab Fateh Ali Khan Kazilbash

(1903)

R. G. Bhandarkar

(1906–1908)

Ripudaman Singh

Nawab (1908)

Khwaja Salimullah

(1908)

Asutosh Mookerjee

Munshi Madho Lal, United Provinces (1907–1909)

(1908)

Theodore Morison

Maing Ba Tow (1908)

Ex-officio members from the (9)

Viceroy's Executive Council

Nominated officials (28)

Nominated non-officials (5): Indian commercial community (1), Punjab Muslims (1), Punjab Landholders (1), Others (2)

The Indian Councils Act 1909 increased the number of members of the Legislative Council to 60, of whom 27 were to be elected. For the first time, Indians were admitted to membership, and there were six Muslim representatives, the first time that such representation had been given to a religious group.

The composition of the Council was as follows:^[8]

Imperial Legislative Council