The Council of State used to meet at the Metcalfe House.[1] The Viceroy or Governor-General was its ex officio President.[2]
Composition
1919 to 1937
The Council of States was created by the Government of India Act 1919. As per this Act, the Council was to have 60 members. The composition was as follows:[3]
Members nominated by the Governor-General (26)
Officials (20)
Non-officials (6), one of whom was nominated as the result of an election held in Berar.
General (20): Madras (4), Bombay (3), Bengal (3), United Provinces (3), Punjab (1), Bihar & Orissa (3), Central Provinces (1), Burma (1), Assam (1)
Muslim (10): Madras (1), Bombay (2), Bengal (2), United Provinces (2), Punjab (2), Bihar & Orissa (1)
Chamber of Commerce (3): Bombay, Bengal, Burma
Sikh (1)
The province-wise composition was as follows:
Madras (5): General (4), Muslim (1)
Bombay (6): General (3), Muslim (2) (Bombay, Sind), Bombay Chamber of Commerce (1)
Bengal (6): General (3) (East Bengal, West Bengal (2)), Muslim (2) (East Bengal, West Bengal), Bengal Chamber of Commerce (1)
United Provinces (5): General (3) (Central, Northern, Southern), Muslim (2) (West, East)
Punjab (4): General (1), Muslim (2) (East, West), Sikh (1)
Bihar & Orissa (4): General (3), Muslim (1)
Central Provinces (1): General
Burma (2): General (1), Burma Chamber of Commerce (1)
Assam (1): General in rotation with Muslim
The Muslim seats of Punjab together with one General seat of Bihar and Orissa alternated to elect 2 seats for every Council of State.[3]
The members had a tenure of 5 years. There were no women members.
The elected members were voted from an electorate consisting of persons who fulfilled either condition
Paid an annual income tax of Rs. 10,000 or annual land revenue of Rs. 750
Member of the Senate of any University
Experience in any Legislative Council in India or
Title-holder
This electorate consisted of not more than 17,000 of entire population of 24 crores (240,000,000) in 1920.
Like the Legislative Assembly, the Council of State had no members elected to represent the princely states, as they were not part of British India. On 23 December 1919, when King-Emperor George V gave royal assent to the Government of India Act 1919, he also made a proclamation which created the Chamber of Princes, to provide a forum for the states to use to debate national questions and make their collective views known to the Government of India.[4]
1937 to 1947
The Government of India Act 1935 introduced further reforms. The size of the Council of State was to be increased to 260 members, 156 from the provinces and 104 from the princely states. However, the first election to the federal legislature after that of 1934 was the 1945 Indian general election, in which the princely states continued to take no part.
Bengal: Sir Benode Chandra Mitter (West Bengal Non-Muhammadan), Sir Deva Prasad Sarvadhikary (West Bengal Non-Muhammadan), Raja Pramada Nath Ray of Dighapatia (East Bengal Non-Muhammadan), Haji Chowdhuri Mohammad Ismail Khan (West Bengal Muslim), Maulvi Abdul Karim (East Bengal Muslim),
Bihar & Orissa:Rameshwar Singh of Darbhanga (Non-Muhammadan), Keshav Prasad Singh of Dumraon (Non-Muhammadan), Babu Ramashray Prashad Choudhary of Dalsinghsarai (Non-Muhammadan), Saiyid Zahir-ud-din (Muhammadan),
Bombay:Lalubhai Samaldas (Non-Muhammadan), Vaman Govind Kale (Non-Muhammadan), Pheroze Sethna (Non-Muhammadan), Raghunath Pandurang Karandikar (Non-Muhammadan), Ebrahim Haroon Jaffer (Bombay Presidency Muhammadan), Ali Baksh Muhammad Hussain (Sind Muhammadan), Ghulam Muhammad Bhurgri (Sind Muhammadan), Sir Arthur Froom (Bombay Chamber of Commerce)
Madras: K. V. Rangaswamy Iyengar (Non-Muhammadan), V. S. Srinivasa Sastri (Non-Muhammadan), S. Rm. M. Annamalai Chettiar (Non-Muhammadan), V. Ramabhadra Naidu (Non-Muhammadan), Ahmed Tamby Maricair (Muhammadan)
United Provinces: Raja Sir Rampal Singh (UP Central Non-Muhammadan) Lala Sukhbir Sinha (UP Northern Non-Muhammadan), Raja Moti Chand (UP Southern Non-Muhammadan), Nawab Muhammad Abdul Majid (UP West Muhammadan), Saiyid Raza Ali (UP East Muhammadan)
Other: Manindra Chandra Nandy Maharaja of Cossimbazar, Ganganath Jha, E. M. Cook, Denys Bray, H. D. Craik, B. C. Mitter, J. A. Richey, B. N. Sarma, J. R. Wood, Sevasila Vedamurti
Non-Officials: Keshav Chandra Roy (Bengal), Sir Bijoy Chand Mahtab (Bengal), Prince Afsar-ul-Mulk Mirza Muhammad Akram Hussain (Bengal), Sir Dinshaw Edulji Wacha (Bombay), Raja Sir Harnam Singh (Punjab), Sardar Charanjit Singh (Punjab)(Indian Christians), Sir Malik Umar Hayat Khan (Punjab), Raja Nawab Ali Khan (United Provinces), Raja Ramakrishna Ranga Rao of Bobbili (Madras), G. A. Natesan (Madras), Major Nawab Mahomed Akbar Khan (North- West Frontier Province), Maneckji Dadabhoy (Central Provinces), G. S. Khaparde (Berar)
Elected Members
Assam: Khan Bahadur Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhury (Muhammadan), Zaminder Bhatipara Estate, founding member of All India Muslim League, active participant of Islamic Khelafat Andolon, philanthropist, legislator of Assam Legislative Council
Bengal: Lokenath Mukherjee (West Bengal Non-Muhammadan), Rai Bahadur Nalini Nath Seth (West Bengal Non-Muhammadan), Mahmood Suhrawardy (West Bengal Muhammadan), Maulvi Abdul Karim (East Bengal Muhammadan), John William Anderson Bell (Bengal Chamber of Commerce), G. C. Godfrey (Bengal Chamber of Commerce)
Bombay:Pheroze Sethna (Non-Muhammadan), Ratansi D. Morarji (Non-Muhamaddan), Manmohandas Ramji Vora (Non-Muhammadan), Ebrahim Haroon Jaffer (Muhammadan), Mian Ali Baksh Muhammad Hussain (Sind Muhammadan), Sir Arthur Froom (Bombay Chamber of Commerce)
Burma: Pundi Chetlur Desika Chari (General), Sir Edgar Holberton (Burma Chamber of Commerce), W. A. Gray (Burma Chamber of Commerce)
Punjab: Lala Ram Saran Das (Punjab Non-Muhammadan), Nawab Sahibzada Sayad Mohammad Mehr Shah (East and West Punjab Muhammadan), Sardar Shivdev Singh Uberoi (Punjab Sikh)
United Provinces: Munshi Narayan Prasad Asthana (United Provinces Northern Non-Muhammadan), Raja Moti Chand (United Provinces Southern Non-Muhammadan), Prakash Narain Sapru (United Provinces Southern Non-Muhammadan), Raja Sir Rampal Singh (United Provinces Central Non-Muhammadan), Saiyid Alay Nabi (United Provinces West Muhammadan), Maharaja Sir Muhammad Ali Muhamamd Khan (United Provinces East Muhammadan), Nawab Sir Muhammad Muzammil-ullah Khan (United Provinces West Muhammadan), Sukhbir Sinha
Non-Officials: G. S. Khaparde (Berar), Khwaja Habibullah (Bengal), Maharaja Jagadish Nath Ray (Bengal), Pandit Gokaran Nath Agra (United Provinces), Shaikh Magbul Husain (United Provinces), Raja Charanjit Singh (Punjab), Nawab Malik Mohammad Hayat Khan Noon (Punjab), Major Nawab Sir Mahomed Akbar Khan (NWFP), Maharaja Kameshwar Singh of Darbhanga (Bihar), Khan Bahadur Shams-ud-din Haidar (Bihar), Sir Nasarvanji Choksy (Bombay), Sir Josna Ghosal (Bombay)
Elected Members
Assam: Khan Bahadur Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhury (Muhammadan), Zaminder Bhatipara Estate, founding member of All India Muslim League, active participant of Islamic Khelafat Andolon, philanthropist, legislator of Assam Legislative Council
Bengal: Jagadish Chandra Banerjee (East Bengal Non-Muhammadan), Nripendra Narayan Sinha (West Bengal Non-Muhammadan), Satyendra Chandra Ghose Maulik (West Bengal Non-Muhammadan), Mahmood Suhrawardy (West Bengal Muhammadan), Syed Abdul Hafeez (East Bengal Muhammadan), George Campbell (Bengal Chamber of Commerce)
Bombay: Sardar Shri Jagannath Maharaj Pandit (Non-Muhammadan), Shantidas Askuran (Non-Muhammadan), Pheroze Sethna (Non-Muhammadan), Sir Suleman Cassum Haji Mitha (Muhammadan), Ali Baksh Muhammad Hussain (Sind Muhammadan), R. H. Parker (Bombay Chamber of Commerce)
Burma: J. B. Glass (Burma Chamber of Commerce)
Central Provinces: V. V. Kalikar, Raja Laxmanrao Bhonsle
Madras:S. Rm. M. Annamalai Chettiar (Non-Muhammadan), Yarlagadda Ranganayakulu Naidu (Non-Muhammadan), V. C. Vellingiri Gounder (Non-Muhammadan), G. N. Chetty (Non-Muhammadan), Syed Muhammad Padshah Saheb Bahadur (Muhammadan),
Punjab: Lala Ram Saran Das (Non-Muhammadan), Sardar Buta Singh (Sikh), Chaudhri Muhammad Din (East Punjab Muhammadan)
United Provinces: Lala Mathura Prasad Mehrotra (UP Central Non-Muhammadan), Lala Jagdish Prasad (UP Northern Non-Muhammadan), Prakash Narain Sapru (UP Southern Non-Muhammadan), Hafiz Muhammad Halim (UP West Muhammadan), Shaikh Mushir Hosain Kidwai (UP East Muhammadan)
Non-Officials: Sir David Devadoss (Madras), K. Ramunni Menon (Madras), Sir Josna Ghosal (Bengal), Maneckji Dadabhoy (Bombay), Raja Charanjit Singh (Punjab), Shamsuddin Haidar (Bihar), Brijlal Nandlal Biyani (Berar), A. P. Patro, Rahimtoola Chinoy, Satyendra Kumar Das, Sir Satya Charan Mukherjee, Sir Mohammad Yakub, Sardar Nihal Singh, Khurshid Ali Khan, Lt. Col. Sir S. Hissam-ud-din Bahadur, Sobha Singh, Sri Narain Mehta, Mohendra Lal Das,
Elected Members
Assam: Khan Bahadur Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhury (Muhammadan), Zaminder Bhatipara Estate, founding member of All India Muslim League, active participant of Islamic Khelafat Andolon, philanthropist, legislator of Assam Legislative Council
Bengal: Kumarsankar Ray Chaudhury (East Bengal Non-Muhammadan), Kumar Nripendra Narayan Sinha (West Bengal Non-Muhammadan), Susil Kumar Roy Chowdhury (West Bengal Non-Muhammadan)
Bihar: Maharaja Kameshwar of Darbhanga (Non-Muhammadan), Hussain Imam (Muhammadan)
Bombay: Shantidas Askuran (Non-Muhammadan), Govindalal Shivlal Motilal (Non-Muhammadan), Maneckji Nadirshaw Dalal (Non-Muhammadan), Sir Suleman Cassum Haji Mitha (Muhammadan), R. H. Parker (Bombay Chamber of Commerce)
Central Provinces: V. V. Kalikar (General)
Madras: Rao Bahadur K. Govindachari (Non-Muhammadan), M. Ct. M. Chidambaram Chettyar (Non-Muhammadan), Narayandas Girdhardas (Non-Muhammadan), V. Ramadas Pantulu (Non-Muhammadan), Saiyad Mohamed Sahib Bahadur (Muhammadan)
Orissa: Nikunja Kishore Das (Non-Muhammadan),
Punjab: Lala Ram Saran Das (Non-Muhammadan), Chaudhri Ataullah Khan Tarar (East & West Punjab Muhammadan), Sardar Buta Singh (Sikh)
Sind: Ali Buksh Mohammad Hussain (Muhammadan)
United Provinces:H. N. Kunzru (UP Northern Non-Muhammadan), Prakash Narain Sapru (UP Southern Non-Muhammadan), Haji Syed Mohamed Husain (UP West Muhammadan), Chaudhri Niamatullah (UP East Muhammadan)
^V. D. Mahajan, Modern Indian History (New Delhi: Chand Publishing, 2020), p. 584
^India's Parliament Selections from the proceedings of the second session of the Legislative Assembly and the Council of State. Director, Central Bureau of Information, Gov't of India. 1921. OL24188384M.