Development of Legislative Bodies in British-India: A Historical Overview

Abstract

Democracy is the most popular form of government where parliament plays an important role to articulate and to aggregate the  demand of the people. Parliament is a primordial institution of the modern age through which the democratic ethos of a state is manifested. Over the years, it has evolved with its multi-dimensional roles across the world according to the aspirations of the people.  The legislative body of former British-India inherits the trend of the Westminster system as a part of its colonial legacy. The  Parliamentary traditions and norms have gradually developed for nearly two centuries with several constitutional measures during the  British rule in India. This paper aims to explore the historical development of the parliament since its inception from the British  Parliament. It includes the Constitutional Development in India during British colonial rule and the development of legislative bodies.  This article is primarily qualitative. It is a combination of both Historical and Analytical Approaches. With a Historical approach, the  historical origin and development of legislative bodies in former British-India has been analyzed in this study. The relevant data were  gathered from Secondary sources. Secondary sources of data include documents on the legal framework concerning the parliament,  various Charters/Acts initiated by the British colonial ruler in India, published reports, press reports, related books, journals and  monographs.