Suppression of the Revolt — Key Changes

Entry	Year	Description	Impact
N/A (Administrative Change)	1858	The Government of India Act 1858 was not an amendment but a fundamental constitutional restructuring. It abolished the East India Company's rule, transferring all its territories, powers, and revenues to the British Crown. It created the office of the Secretary of State for India, a cabinet minister, assisted by a 15-member Council of India, to oversee Indian administration from London. The Governor-General of India was simultaneously designated as the Viceroy, acting as the direct representative of the Crown.	This Act marked the end of the Company's commercial and political authority and the beginning of direct imperial rule by the British Crown. It centralized control, brought Indian administration under direct parliamentary supervision, and fundamentally altered the nature of colonial governance, laying the legal framework for the British Raj for the next 90 years. It also led to significant military reorganization and a shift in policy towards princely states.
N/A (Proclamation)	1858	Queen Victoria's Proclamation, issued on November 1, 1858, was a declaration of policy rather than a legislative amendment. It announced the new principles of Crown rule, promising religious freedom, equal protection under law, and an end to territorial expansion. Crucially, it assured Indian princes that their territories would be respected and their rights, dignity, and honor maintained, effectively reversing the Doctrine of Lapse.	The Proclamation aimed to pacify the Indian populace and secure the loyalty of the princely states, who had largely remained neutral or supported the British during the revolt. It established a new ideological basis for British rule, emphasizing benevolent paternalism while asserting paramountcy. While promising equality, it also reinforced racial hierarchies and solidified the 'divide and rule' policy as a long-term strategy of governance.