Warren Hastings and Cornwallis — Key Changes

Entry	Year	Description	Impact
Regulating Act	1773	This was the first major parliamentary intervention to regulate the East India Company's affairs in India. It appointed a Governor-General of Bengal (Warren Hastings) and a four-member Council, established a Supreme Court in Calcutta, and brought the presidencies of Madras and Bombay under Bengal's superintendence in matters of war and peace.	It marked the beginning of parliamentary control over the Company's administration, centralized authority in Bengal, and laid the foundation for a formal judicial system, though its ambiguities led to conflicts.
Pitt's India Act	1784	Passed after the shortcomings of the Regulating Act became apparent, this Act established a Board of Control in Britain to supervise the Company's civil, military, and revenue affairs, effectively creating a system of 'Dual Control' (Company's Court of Directors and the Board of Control). It also reduced the size of the Governor-General's Council to three members.	Significantly increased parliamentary control over the Company, clearly separating its commercial and political functions. It strengthened the Governor-General's position by reducing the Council's size and giving him more decisive power, paving the way for Cornwallis's systematic reforms.