How did Bakht Khan organize rebel government in Delhi?

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Illustration of De Kantzow defending the treasury at Mainpuri during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, showing a British officer confronting armed sepoys inside a building as tensions rise during the uprising. — Indian Rebellion of 1857 Indian sepoys (soldiers) corner a British officer amid their attack on a treasury in Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh.

Bakht Khan, a former field battery commander for the East India Company, became the dominant leader of the independent government established by rebels in Delhi during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.1

To manage the affairs of the state and maintain control over the figurehead Mughal emperor, Bakht Khan organized a court of administration. The members of this governing body were elected by representatives from both the army and the various government departments. This structure was intended to provide a formal administrative framework for the rebel forces before they were eventually forced out of the city by the British in September 1857.1