Dr. Manjit Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of Laws, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar
Ramandeep Singh, Research Scholar, Department of Laws, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar
ABSTRACT
The legislative developments underwent during the rule of East India Company in British India which stretches from 1661 to 1857 laid the foundation of civil law in India. The company rule was ended in 1858 with the transfer of legislative powers to the British Crown. The progressive approach of the British Company toward the administration of presidency towns resulted in early legislative experiments in India. In this article, the legal developments during the company’s rule are divided into two phases; one from 1661 to 1726 and the second from 1773 to 1858. The legal events during this period reflected the transition and adaptation of British legal principles blending with the native Indian customs and traditions. This article emphasized several acts and regulations made during this period to contemplate their significance in the contemporary legislative framework of India. The present legal system of India is simply the enhanced rendition of the legislative framework developed during the rule of the British Company. In the absence of contributions by such legal developments, the vision of lawmakers for a comprehensive civil legal system would have been a mere illusion. These experiments during the Company rule shape the legal and administrative landscape for the systematic governance and administration of justice.
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