Which Governor General of Bengal underwent impeachment proceedings in the British Parliament?
- (a)Robert Clive
- (b)Henry Vansittart
- (c)Warren Hastings
- (d)Lord Cornwallis
Correct — C, Warren Hastings. As the first Governor-General of Bengal (1774 to 1785) under the Regulating Act of 1773, Hastings was accused of corruption and misgovernment after his return to England. Impeachment proceedings, led in the House of Commons by Edmund Burke, opened in 1788 and the celebrated trial before the House of Lords dragged on until 1795, when he was finally acquitted.
- (a)Robert Clive — Clive faced a parliamentary inquiry and a censure motion in 1772 to 1773 over his conduct in Bengal, but the Commons ultimately exonerated him — he was never formally impeached.
- (b)Henry Vansittart — Vansittart served as Governor of Bengal (1760 to 1764) before the office of Governor-General even existed and was not subjected to impeachment proceedings.
- (d)Lord Cornwallis — Cornwallis (Governor-General 1786 to 1793) is remembered for the Permanent Settlement and the Cornwallis Code, not for any impeachment; he faced no such proceedings.
The Regulating Act of 1773 created the post of Governor-General of Bengal, first held by Warren Hastings. His tenure saw major reforms but also charges of extortion and misrule, especially over the Rohilla war, the Chait Singh affair and the Begums of Awadh. These led to one of British history's most famous impeachment trials.
The trap is picking Robert Clive, who is also strongly associated with corruption inquiries in Bengal. But Clive was only inquired into and censured, not impeached; the formal impeachment before Parliament was Warren Hastings'. Cornwallis and Vansittart faced no such proceedings.
- Warren Hastings was the first Governor-General of Bengal, appointed under the Regulating Act of 1773.
- His impeachment was moved in the Commons in 1788, driven by Edmund Burke, Charles James Fox and R. B. Sheridan.
- The trial before the House of Lords lasted until 1795 and ended in his acquittal.
- Robert Clive, by contrast, faced a Commons inquiry in 1772 to 1773 but was exonerated, not impeached.
- Choosing Robert Clive because he is also linked to Bengal corruption — he was inquired into, not impeached.
- Assuming the first Governor-General was Cornwallis or Clive; it was Warren Hastings.
Asked as a direct fact-recall matching a famous impeachment to the right Governor-General.
Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
- (a) Pitt's India Act — Warren Hastings
- (b) Doctrine of Lapse — Dalhousie
- (c) Vernacular Press Act — Curzon
- (d) Ilbert Bill — Ripon
Answer(c) Vernacular Press Act — Curzon
Same figure and era — Warren Hastings' governor-generalship. UPSC pairs Pitt's India Act (1784) with his tenure, reinforcing the administrative context around the man later impeached.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Under which Act was the office of Governor-General of Bengal, first held by Warren Hastings, created?
- (a)Pitt's India Act, 1784
- (b)Regulating Act, 1773
- (c)Charter Act, 1813
- (d)Government of India Act, 1858
Answer(b) Regulating Act, 1773.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The impeachment proceedings against Warren Hastings in the British Parliament were prominently led by:
- (a)William Pitt the Younger
- (b)Edmund Burke
- (c)Lord North
- (d)Robert Walpole
Answer(b) Edmund Burke — with Fox and Sheridan.