Author:

Barnak Das
Research Scholar
Department of History
University of Delhi
Delhi Enclave, Delhi, India

Email: dasbarnak@gmail.com

Abstract::Abstract:This essay charts the evolution and contradictions of the jury system in colonial India,
tracing its complex history from the late eighteenth century to its abolition in independent India.
Initially celebrated by the British as a symbol of justice and individual liberty, the jury was introduced
into India as part of the broader project of legal reform. However, far from becoming a tool of
participatory justice, the colonial jury system was deeply shaped by racial exclusions, property
restrictions, and administrative convenience. It highlights the history of the institution through
colonial legislations. Indian elites intermittently engaged with the institution, advocating for inclusion
within the colonial legal framework, yet increasingly grew disillusioned as the system served British
interests. By the late nineteenth century, the jury system had become dysfunctional and symbolic of
imperial injustice. The essay reveals the jury’s role as a contested space of negotiation between
imperial power and native agency, offering insight into the tensions of colonial law.

Key Words::British,Colonial, Evolution, Imperial, Jury System,Transformation etc.