Consider the following statements regarding the Doctrine of Lapse 1 It was widely used during the te...........

Indian Freedom Struggle Viceroys and Governor Generals

Consider the following statements regarding the Doctrine of Lapse :

1. It was widely used during the tenure of Lord Dalhousie as governor a general.

2. Under it, the British could annex any Indian territory on the grounds of misgovernment, particularly when the ruler had lost trust of his subjects.

3. Punjab was the first state annexed under this policy.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Only one

Only two

All three

None

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Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The British followed the policy of annexing Indian States on various grounds. The Doctrine of Lapse was one of them; it was mainly used by Lord Dalhousie, who was governor general of India from 1848 to 1856. Statement 2 is incorrect: Under this Doctrine, if an Indian ruler died without a male heir, his Kingdom would lapse, that is, it would become a part of the Company's territory. One Kingdom after another was annexed simply by the company applying this Doctrine of Lapse. Statement 3 is incorrect : The Doctrine of Lapse was first applied to annex few CisSutlej territories (and not entire Punjab) by the company, followed by Satara in 1848, followed by other states -Sambalpur in 1850, Udaipur in 1852, Nagpur in 1853, and Jhansi in 1854. After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839, two prolonged wars were fought by the Sikhs with the British, but ultimately Punjab was annexed in 1849.