Which of the following acts passed by the British Parliament created the office of the 'Secretary of State for India' with complete authority over Indian administration?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Government of India Act 1858 abolished the East India Company's rule and transferred direct governance of British India to the British Crown. It created the post of the Secretary of State for India, a British cabinet minister assisted by a fifteen-member Council of India, vesting them with complete authority over Indian administration. Acts like the Charter Act of 1853 merely renewed the company's charter rather than dismantling its administrative structure. This legislation marked the formal beginning of direct imperial rule in the subcontinent.