Indian Council Act 1909 or Morley – Minto Reforms

• Morley was the Secretary of State, while Minto was the Indian Viceroy.
• Legislative Councils, both at the Centre and in the Provinces, were expanded.
• With regard to Central Government, an Indian member was taken in the Executive Council of the Governor General.

Indian Councils Act 1892

Two improvements in both the Central and the Provincial Legislative Councils were suggested to the following :

• Though the majority of the official members was retained, the Non – Official members were to be nominated by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Provincial Legislative Councils ( The Non – Official members of the Provincial Councils were to be nominated by certain local bodies such as Universities, District Boards, Municipalities]. Indian leaders like G.K.Gokhale, Ashutosh Mukherjee, Ras Bihari Ghosh and S.N.Banerjee found their way in the Legislative Council.

Indian Councils Act of 1861

• For the first time the Act introduces the representative institutions in India. It enabled the Governor- General to associate representatives of the Indian people with the work of legislation by nominating them to his expanded council.

Government of India Act, 1858

The first war of Indian Independence in 1857 brought the career of East India Company to an end. In 1858, the Government of India was placed directly under the crown through the Secretary of State for India and all the matters were to be seen by him. This Act had three parts:

The Charter Act of 1853

• Laid foundation of Parliamentary system of Government, the executive and legislative separated. Legislative Assembly functioned in the model of British Parliament.
• Renewed the term of East India Company for an indefinite period;

Charter Act of 1833

• Company's monopoly to tea trade and China trade was abolished and it was required to wind up its commercial business. But administration and political powers were continued and status quo was maintained.