India Bill

Great Britain [1783]

Also known as: East India Bill

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June 17, 2026

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The India Bill of 1783 was a legislative proposal in Great Britain aimed at reforming the governance of British settlements in India, which were then administered by the East India Company. The bill passed the House of Commons but was rejected by the House of Lords due to opposition from King George III. This rejection led to the dismissal of the Fox-North coalition government and the appointment of William Pitt the Younger as Prime Minister. Pitt subsequently introduced his own India Act in 1784, establishing a dual control system where the East India Company's commercial activities were overseen by a government-appointed Board of Control. This marked a significant step in increasing British government oversight of Indian affairs.123

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India
The company and the state
…transfer the control of British India to seven commissioners was defeated by the influence of King George III in the House of Lords, but the next year the matter was settled for more than 70 years by Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger’s India Act of 1784. Its essence was…
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…transfer the control of British India to seven commissioners was defeated by the influence of King George III in the House of Lords, but the next year the matter was settled for more than 70 years by Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger’s India Act of 1784. Its essence was…
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Edmund Burke
Political life
He drafted the East India Bill of 1783 (of which the Whig statesman Charles James Fox was the nominal author), which proposed that India be governed by a board of independent commissioners in London. After the defeat of the bill, Burke’s indignation came to centre on Warren Hastings, governor-general…
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He drafted the East India Bill of 1783 (of which the Whig statesman Charles James Fox was the nominal author), which proposed that India be governed by a board of independent commissioners in London. After the defeat of the bill, Burke’s indignation came to centre on Warren Hastings, governor-general…
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United Kingdom
Britain from 1783 to 1815
The India Bill passed the Commons but, like every other piece of legislation not directly concerned with taxation, it had to be approved by a majority in the House of Lords. In advance of the vote the king let it be known that he would regard…
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The India Bill passed the Commons but, like every other piece of legislation not directly concerned with taxation, it had to be approved by a majority in the House of Lords. In advance of the vote the king let it be known that he would regard…
Read More