Why did Warren Hastings move major government offices from Murshidabad to Calcutta?

Warren Hastings moved the major government offices from Murshidabad to Calcutta in 1772 to consolidate British authority and ensure more effective administration of the region.12

Following the decline of the Mughal government, Hastings observed that the existing system—where the British held legal power through the dewanee but left governance to Indian officials—was demoralized and inefficient. To address this, he sought to detach the machinery of the central government from the nawab’s court at Murshidabad and bring it under direct British control in Calcutta.1

This transition was part of a broader effort to accept full responsibility for the province, remodel the administration of justice, and establish effective supervision over taxation. By centralizing these functions, Hastings transformed Calcutta into the capital of British India, solidifying its role as the center of the company’s commercial and political power.132