By which one of the following Acts was the Governor General of Bengal designated as the Governor General of India?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) The Charter Act of 1833
The Charter Act of 1833 turned the Governor General of Bengal into the Governor General of India. It gave one authority, the Governor General in Council, charge of the whole of British India and vested law-making power in it.
- ✓ (d) The Charter Act of 1833 changed the title from Governor General of Fort William in Bengal to Governor General of India (William Bentinck was in office). It also vested legislative power for the first time in a single authority, the Governor General in Council.
- ✗ (a) The Regulating Act (1773) is earlier. Before 1833 the top post still carried the Bengal title, so no earlier Act could have created the all-India title.
- ✗ (c) The Charter Act of 1793 only renewed the Company's charter; it also predates 1833 and left the Bengal title unchanged.
Remember · Charter Act of 1833: Governor General of Bengal became Governor General of India; one all-India legislative authority, the Governor General in Council.
Sources
- Governors from 1834 to 1854, Raj Bhavan West Bengal ↗ “which altered the title from Governor General of Fort William in Bengal to Governor of the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal and Governor General of India”
- Early Beginnings, Law Commission of India ↗ “The Charter Act, 1833 enacted by the British Parliament, vested for the first-time legislative power in a single authority, namely, the Governor-General in Council.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·