Council of State (India)

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The Council of State was the upper house of India’s colonial-era legislature, created in 1919 as part of the Imperial Legislative Council under British rule. It stood with the Central Legislative Assembly (the lower house). The Council met in New Delhi, at Metcalfe House, and its ex officio President was the Viceroy or Governor-General.

Key points:
- Created: 1919 by the Government of India Act 1919.
- Members: Up to 60 members, serving five-year terms.
- Voting: Very limited franchise; in 1920 only about 17,000 people were eligible to vote out of a population around 240 million.
- Composition: Included provincial seats; princely states did not participate in elections.
- Chamber of Princes: A forum created in 1919 to represent the princely states’ views.
- Reforms: The 1935 Act proposed expanding the Council to 260 members (156 from provinces, 104 from princely states), but the 1945 elections occurred before full implementation, and princely states did not participate.
- End: Dissolved on 14 August 1947 after independence; its functions were taken over by the Constituent Assemblies of India and Pakistan.