Constitutional History Of India Essay

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Constitutional history of India
This paper is an attempt to survey the constitutional developments in colonial Indian history. A constitution can be defined as a set of legal norms, either codified or uncodified that determine the extent and scope of the powers of the state. It gives the state it’s structure and form and strives to curtail arbitrary action to foster a legal environment where rule of law is above the rule of men. Before the advent of British colonial rule, the subcontinent was rules by a number of states that were absolute monarchies. Under an absolute monarchy there are no limits on the power of the Monarch, any limitations that the sovereign might encounter would be rooted in realpolitik and not in an inherent rule of law that purports to control the actions of the sovereign.
British colonial pursuits in India can be traced back to the Charter of 1600, where Queen Elizabeth granted the East India Trading Company exclusive rights to trade with the east. Over the next 150 …show more content…

In 1600 C.E., 215 British Knights of the realm, Aldermen of London and burgesses headed by GEORGE, EARL OF CUMBERLAND, petitioned the Crown; "for Our Royal Assent and License to be granted unto them, that they, at their own Adventures, costs and charges, as well for the Honour of this our Realm of England, as for the Increase of our Navigation, and Advancement of Trade of Merchandise, within our said Realm and the Dominions of the same, might adventure and set forth one or more Voyages, with convenient number of ships and Pinnaces, by way of traffic and merchandise to the East Indies, in the countries and parts of Asia and Africa, and to as many of the islands, ports and cities, towns and places, thereabouts, as where Trade and Traffic may by all likelihood be discovered, established or had ; diverse of which countries, and many of the islands, cities and ports thereof, have long since been discovered by others of our subjects, albeit not frequented in Trade of

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