Author:

Rashmi Kumari
Research Scholar
Centre of Advanced Study
Department of History
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh,India

Email: rash64359@gmail.com

Abstract:: After the 1857 Revolt, the Government of India Act 1858 transferred judicial administration from the East India Company to the British Crown, ending the Company’s dual court system. A key post-Revolt demand was the separation of the revenue officers (such as District Magistrates, who had doubled as judges) from judicial functions, to address widespread grievances over biased administration. This separation occurred gradually in the United Provinces. Concurrently, Indian subordinate judges and Munsiffs gained expanded authority in civil matters. This paper analyses three archival lawsuit files from Azamgarh (1868–1869), preserved in the Uttar Pradesh State Archives, Lucknow: Reoti Singh and Others vs. Government (1868), Dussoo Assoodah Bibi vs. Government (1868), and Sheikh Villayat Hussain and other zamindars of mouza Doogowlee (pargana Sikandarpur) vs. Collector (1869).These land disputes reveal a common pattern: ordinary Indian families sought to reclaim properties appropriated by the colonial state through legal technicalities and administrative maneuvers. Drawing on primary archival records and secondary sources, the study compares the British handling rooted in “abstract” general principles and official documentation with earlier Mughal judicial practices. It illustrates law as a dynamic, contested process in post-1857 colonial governance, where cases were adjudicated differently yet consistently favoured the government.

Key Words:: Bengal, Company, Colonial, Governance, Mughal etc.