Official Question UPSC 2026
Consider the following statements regarding the British policy in Awadh immediately after its annexation in 1856 : 1. The taluqdars were dispossessed of their estates but allowed to retain their arms and forts. 2. A Summary Revenue Settlement was made in 1856 assuming that the taluqdars were outsiders. 3. The British believed in taking revenue directly from the peasants by removing the taluqdars. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Solution & Analysis
Answer: A
The annexation of Awadh by Lord Dalhousie in 1856 triggered massive social upheaval, driven by subsequent British revenue policies:
•Statement 1 is Incorrect: The taluqdars were the powerful landed aristocracy of Awadh. The British viewed their private armies as a severe threat. Consequently, upon annexation, the taluqdars were not only dispossessed of over half their villages, but they were strictly disarmed, and their private forts were dismantled and destroyed.
•Statement 2 is Correct: The British implemented the Summary Settlement of 1856. The ideological foundation of this policy was the assumption that the taluqdars had no permanent, legitimate property rights. The British administrators classified them as "interlopers" (outsiders) who had usurped power through violence and fraud.
•Statement 3 is Correct: The explicit goal of the Summary Settlement was to bypass the taluqdari middlemen entirely. The British intended to settle land revenue directly with the actual cultivators (peasants/ryots), ostensibly to reduce peasant exploitation, but practically to maximize direct state revenue.
Conclusion: Statements 2 and 3 accurately describe the harsh agrarian restructuring that eventually fueled the 1857 Revolt in Awadh.