Explanation:

The Doctrine of Lapse was a policy implemented by the British East India Company, during the time of Lord Dalhousie. According to this policy, any princely state or territory under the direct influence of the British East India Company, as a vassal state under the British Subsidiary System, would automatically be annexed if the ruler was either "manifestly incompetent or died without a male heir." The ruling chiefs and princely states were not in favor of this doctrine as it threatened their existence and disregarded their rights.