Social Legislation of the East India Company : Public Justice Versus Public Instruction

by Nancy Gardner Cassels

• ISBN13: 9788132105152
• ISBN10: 813210515X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-12-20
• Publisher: SAGE Publications Pvt. Ltd

Summary

This book studies colonial law in India by surveying how the East India Company, guided by principles of public justice and public instruction, created a body of legislation that is of significance to us even in the present time. It dwells on the legislation it formulated in many areas like criminal justice; women, religion, and social reform; caste and untouchability; religious endowments; and land, inheritance, and property law.The book traces the journey of the small group of merchants, enviously guarding their sometimes piratical commercial interests, becoming a burgeoning nation state. It shows how, as they embraced their expanding administrative responsibilities, they confronted contentious issues embedded in Indian society and responded through reform initiatives. It also underlines how the Company hoped that state-funded educational institutions would help disseminate liberal influence of Western education in the Indian society.

Table of Contents

Law, Order and Power: Thagi, Dacoity and Sorcery

Law as a Weapon Against Child Sacrifice, Sati, Female Infanticide and Meriah Sacrifice

The Legal Rights of Coolies, Slaves and Emigrant Workers

Civil Law and the Policy of Religious Toleration

Abkarry and Pilgrim Taxes: Excise as a Regulating Instrument

Public Instruction Begets Indian Agency, Free Press, and Trial by Jury

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.