Topic: The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors /contributions from different parts of the country.
Q1. Trace the evolution of the police and civil administration under British rule. Examine their role in maintaining colonial authority. (15 M)
Difficulty Level: Medium
Reference: NIE
Why the question
The colonial administrative framework continues to influence discussions on governance, police reforms and institutional transformation.
Key Demand of the question
The question requires tracing the evolution of the police and civil administration under British rule and examining how these institutions functioned as instruments for consolidating and sustaining colonial authority.
Structure of the Answer:
Introduction
Mention the emergence of a centralised colonial administrative machinery after the East India Company’s expansion.
Body
- Evolution of the civil administration: Trace the major stages in the development of the colonial civil administration.
- Evolution of the police: Explain the evolution of the colonial police system and its institutional features.
- Role in maintaining colonial authority: Show how both institutions enabled political control, revenue extraction and suppression of dissent.
Conclusion
Conclude by highlighting that these institutions became the administrative backbone of colonial rule and significantly influenced the governance framework inherited by independent India.
