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Advisory Council of Notables Board of Notables : The original Council of India was established by the British Parliament’s Charter Act of 1833 for the Gov.-Gen. of the East India Company who was stationed in Calcutta. The Act made the Gov.-Gen. & his Council liable directly only to the Company’s Board of Control – a body of Directors under a president. The Act of 1858 created an India Office in London, headed by the cabinet-ranking Secretary of State for India to whom the Gov.-Gen. & his dominions were subservient. “In his able Minute of 1860, Sir Bartle Frere had advocated the need…to do away with ‘the perilous experiment of continuing to legislate for millions of people with few means of knowing, except by rebellion, whether the laws suit them or not’.” The result was the largely eyewash Indian Council Act of 1861 which besides fixing the outline of every succeeding legislative ‘reforms’ left (taking into account former Gov.-Gen. Dalhousie’s urging to include Indians in the Council created by the Act of 1853), a loop-hole for admission of Indians into the Gov.-Gen.’s Council. Thus in 1862, Viceroy Canning invited three Indian Notables (docile doves), Maharaja of Patiālā, Raja of Benares, & Sir Dinkar Rao, to sit & not speak unless asked to in his newly constituted Legislative Council. The Secretary of State was to be advised by a Council of India or India Council based in Whitehall, London. The Viceroy’s Council of India was renamed the Council of the Governor General of India. …. But it was soon apparent that the Secretary of State was in a position to ignore his Council in all vital matters…. [Yet this] position was legalised by the Act of 1869, which took away most of the powers of the Council, & further provided that its members were to hold office only for a period of ten years, renewable at the pleasure of the Secretary of State…. [An Advanced History of India, R.C. Majumdar, H.C. Raychaudhuri, & Kalikinkar Datta, 3rd Ed., 1973/1974, pp.842-47] Following suit, Morley’s ‘reforms’ announced on June 6th, 1907 included (1) the appointment of an Advisory Council of Notables, (2) enlargement of Viceroy Minto’s Legislative Councils, (3) the appointment of two Indians on to the India Council in London. On August 26th, a Royal Commission was also appointed to look into methods of decentralisation. “Resorting to diplomacy,” writes Dr M.N. Das, “Morley looked for one or two Indians for the India Council…. The Viceroy was ready to support him & promptly suggested for the India Council the names of Ameer Ali, & Harnām Singh.” Figuring out Minto’s unstated advice to keep the two communities at loggerheads to prevent their combined rebellion as in 1857-59, Morley “appointed Sir Krishna Govinda Gupta & Nawab Syed Hussain Bilgrami. Bilgrami retired early in 1910 owing to ill-health & his place was taken by Mirza Abbas Ali Baig.” [Dr. M.N. Das, India Under Morley & Minto: Politics behind Revolution, Repression & Reforms; Internet.] In 1907-09, Mr Gokhale among others demanded certain changes in the Home Govt., particularly the abolition of the India Council. A Committee, appointed in 1919, with Lord Crewe, an ex-Secretary of State for India, as chairman & Prof A.B. Keith & Mr B.N. Basu among others as members, to examine & report on the working of the Home Govt. recommended the total abolition of the India Council. But the recommendation was not accepted by the Joint Committee of Parliament…. The Secretary of State’s Council of India was abolished by the Act 1935. [An Advanced History of India, pp.907-08]