Q1. Write a detailed note on battle of Buxar and its consequences.

The Battle of Buxar was the decisive battle which defined British as a ruler that was
fought between English Forces, and combined army of Mir Kasim, the Nawab of
Bengal, Nawab of Oudh and Shah Alam II, Mughal Emperor. The battle was the
outcome of misuse of Farman and Dastak, and also the trade expansionist
aspiration of English.

On 22 October 1764, the Battle of Buxar took place and the Indian armies were
defeated. The battle of Buxar proved itself to be a turning point in the history of India.
In 1765, Shuja-ud-daulah and Shah Alam signed treaties at Allahabad with Clive who
had become the Governor of the company. Under these treaties, the English
company secured the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha, which gave the company
the right to collect revenue from these territories. The Nawab of Awadh ceded
Allahabad and Kora to the Mughal Emperor who began to reside at Allahabad under
the protection of the British troops. The company agreed to pay Rupees 26lakhs
every year to the Mughal Emperor but they stopped making this payment soon after.
The company promised to send its troops to defend the Nawab against any invaders,
for which the Nawab would be required to pay. Thus, the Nawab of Awadh became
dependent on the company. In the meantime, Mir Jafar had again been made the
Nawab of Bengal. After his death his son was installed as the Nawab. The officials of
the company made huge personal profits by extorting money from the Nawab.

Events leading to the Battle Field

 Misuse of Farman and Dastak by British which challenged the Mir Qasim’s
authority and sovereignty.
 Abolition of all duties on internal trade of British.
 Misbehaviour of the Company’s servant- They compelled the Indian artisans,
peasants and merchant to sell their goods at cheap price , and also started
the tradition of bribes and gifts.
 Plundering attitude of British which not only abuses the trade ethics but also
challenges the Nawab authority.
Q2. Discuss Raja Nandkumar case (1775).

Introduction
This a case of conspiracy against the Raja Nand Kumar, this was set up indirectly by the Governor
General Warren Hastings and Chief Justice Impey of the Supreme Court of Calcutta. The general
had enmity by Nand kumar, he fought battle of Plessey by the side of king.

He was admired by the kings, so Hasting took help of other Indians for surrounding him for the
conspiracy. Several trials were conducted against him, in first the case was dismissed by the
presidency town’s court but after that they filed a case of forgery against him. It was a false case
but then also they defeated Nand kumar and was given death sentence by the newly settled
court.

Citation:
July, 1775

Fact
The Governor General Warren Hastings and Barnwell set a conspiracy against Raja Nand kumar.
Two case was filed simultaneously. One was of the forgery and conspiracy. The forgery case was
difficult to win by the Governor, so he filed a another case of forgery against the Nand Kumar.
The first case was dismissed by the Supreme Court due to lack of evidences. A new case was filed
and it was continuously tried in court for eight days. The court session started sharply at 8 a.m.,
many a time the court heard till the late night. The Supreme Court Chief Justice was  Impey who
was a good friend of governor. The chief Justice ruled out that Nand Kumar would be handed on
5th August, 1775 near Fort Williams. The decision was biased as the CJI was friend of Governor
and they turned the decision in their favour. 
Issues:
1. The Supreme Court did not have a clear power to give the capital punishment. The
capital punishment for forgery was not part of Indian Law where as it was Law in
Britain.
2. The locals were tried in the Local Court, Faujdari Adalat’s and Supreme court did not
had a clear power to try the case of the natives.
3. The Views of the Chief Justice Impey was a very big question as it did not favour the
right side.
Held:
The court held that the case of conspiracy was dismissed by the court as they did not had any
evidences against the Raja Nand Kumar. The second case of forgery against Nand Kumar was
held liable and was given Capital Punishment.

Judgment:-
The Court held that the Raja Nand Kumar was charged with forgery and he was given a capital
sentence by the Chief Justice Impey, he was hanged on 5th August, 1775 near Fort Williams.
Analysis:
Accordingly, it is a clear case of conspiracy against Raja Nand Kumar, the Governor General had a
personal grudge on the Raja Nand Kumar. He took help of the local Indian Kings, Barnwell and
the Chief Justice to tamper with the proofs and create false evidences in order to create a
conspiracy against Raja Nand Kumar. The decision of Court was biased on the behalf of the
Governor General.

Q3. Merits and Demerits of Dual government in Bengal.

Merits of the Dual Government:

Clive showed his sagacity by following the policy of decentralization in
the matter of Company’s administration in Bengal. By this policy he could
safely avert possible combined attack from the side of the Indian princes.
He could save the British in India from the wrath of the Indian rulers who
might have taken drastic steps to oust the British from India had it been
done otherwise.

By the dual system of Government in Bengal Clive could save the

company from the jealousy of the other European powers like the French,
the Dutch and the Portuguese. These European powers would have
withdrawn their payment of tariff to the servants of the Company on the
event of Clive’s occupation of Bengal.

Clive was wise enough not to take upon the administration of Bengal
directly. He knew fully well that the servants of the company were not
conversant with the languages, customs, traditions and laws prevailing
among the people of Bengal.

They were merely writers in the Company’s service. They would have cut
a very sorry figure had they been entrusted with the administration of
Bengal in the event of Clive’s occupation of the state. In addition to their
ignorance of the task of administration, their number was also too small to
manage it.

Both the Board of Directors and the British Parliament were not in favour
of direct administration in Bengal. Clive did not like to ensure displeasure
of the home authority by taking over the administration of Bengal directly.
By establishing Dual Government in Bengal Clive showed his honour to
the Board of Directors on the one hand and saved the Company from the
wrath of British parliament on the other.

The dual Government in Bengal helped the East India Company to remain
free from the real responsibility of the administration of Bengal. The
English Company got power and pelf by this system of Government by
successfully keeping themselves away from the hazards of administration.
For every omission and commission in the Government the Nawab of
Bengal was to Bengal held responsible.

Lastly, Clive established Dual Government in Bengal because the

exigencies of time demanded it. It provided a conducive atmosphere for
the growth of British power in India under the prevailing circumstances.
Any alternative would have led the company to disaster

Demerits of the Dual Government:

The Dual Government of Clive has been criticized in various ways. It led
to disastrous results. The administration in Bengal almost collapsed. Power
was divorced from the responsibility. The British were in possession of
power and money where as the Nawab had neither power nor money. He
had only the responsibility of running the administration. The Nawab
failed to manage the administration smoothly with a small annual grant of
rupees 50 lakhs only. The company tried to improve its own lot by the
revenue it collected from Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The Nawab could not
do any work of public utility due to paucity of fund. The Nawab also had
no power to enforce law.

As a result lawlessness prevailed in most parts of Bengal. The cases of

theft and rubbery increased by lips and bounds. The common people had
to suffer a lot due to want of justice. They suffered to such an extent that
they preferred even to leave their home and heart.

The poor administration in Bengal led to rapid increase of private trade.

The servants of the East India Company carried on trade and commerce
privately without paying any tax. They earned a lot of profit out of this
illegal trade. But on the other hand, the merchants of Bengal suffered a lot,
because they were over burdened with tax. Thus, the Dual Government
dealt a terrible blow to the local trade and commerce.

The Dual Government of Clive was further responsible for the downfall of
local industries. The company’s people forced the local weavers to work
exclusively for the company. Many other small local industries also were
brought under the control of the company.

People failed to get proper justice under the Dual system of Government.
The judges of the Nawab were influenced by British authority, because the
latter played vital role in their appointment. Thus, the judges failed to give
impartial verdict which was detrimental to the interest of the public.
The separation of power from responsibility led Bengal towards its ruin.
The Dual Government was avowedly a device for hoodwinking the
country powers and the foreign nations whom Clive did not like to give
umbrage. Though the Nawab , under this set up, “had nothing but the
name and shadow of authority, yet that name and shadow were to Bengal
preserved and outwardly venerated as a convenient mask which it would
Bengal dangerous to throw off.”