ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY 11
The appointment of the Governor-General was made by the Court of Directors subject to the approval of the Crown. The Governor-General was aided by a Council known as the Supreme Council, originally composed of four members, three of whom necessarily had to be the servants of the Company in India of at least ten years’ standing. The fourth one must not have belonged to the Company’s Service. The Commander-in-Chief of forces in India was an ex-officio member of the Governor-General’s office. This Supreme Council of five members was expanded by adding to it in
1853, six Legislative members who were authorized only to sit and vote on the framing of Laws and Regulations. Four of these six Legislative members were required to be the Civil Servants of the Company of ten years’ standing in Bombay, Madras, Bengal and the North-Western Provinces. The two remaining places were filled up by the Chief Justice and one other Judge of the Supreme Court of Calcutta. The Governor-General was authorized to add two more members to this Council of eleven, under Section 22 of Statute 16 and
17 Victoria Chapter 95, but the power was not exercised at best up to the time of the mutiny.
This Supreme Council of India, therefore, was composed of six members including the Governor-General and the Commander-in-Chief for the purposes of Executive Government and twelve members for the purposes of the Legislatures : seven members were deemed sufficient to form a quorum.
The power of the Governor-General was so great that he was nearly an autocrat. He could not only veto all legislation in the Council but could initiate and carry out measures independently of the Council. All “political” appointments including those of the Residents to the native States and the Commissioners to the non-regulated provinces were made by him. He could appoint the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal and of the North-West Provinces and the judges of the lower courts and controlled military patronage in Bengal and the North-West provinces.