Butler Committee
The Harcourt Butler Committee, also known as the Indian States Committee, was a three-member committee appointed by the British government in 1927 to investigate and clarify the relationship between the paramount power of the British Raj in India and the rulers of the Princely States. The committee, chaired by Sir Harcourt Butler and also consisting of William Searle Holdsworth and Sidney Peel, visited 16 States and submitted its report in 1929. The question of sovereignty and paramountcy, which refers to the superior authority or control exercised by the British Raj over the Princely States, was undefined at the time and there was a growing demand among the Princely States to clarify the term.
Background
Prior to the appointment of the Butler Committee, the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, also known as the Montford Reforms, had created a Chamber of Princes as a consultative and advisory body with no say in the internal affairs of individual states and no powers to discuss matters concerning existing rights and freedoms. However, the question of the extent of sovereignty and paramountcy remained undefined. In order to examine the nature of the relationship between the states and government, the Butler Committee was established in 1927 with the objective of inquiring into the relationship between the Indian states and the paramount power and to suggest ways to improve the existing relations between them and the British India.
Recommendations
In the committee’s report of 1929, the paramountcy doctrine was reaffirmed and guidelines were given for its application. It was made clear that the financial relationship between the Raj and the States should be fair and that the relationship of the Princely States with the British empire was not merely a contractual relationship, but a living and growing relationship shaped by the circumstances and policy, resting on a mixture of history and theory. The committee recommended that British paramountcy should remain intact in order to preserve the Princely States and that the States should not be transferred without their own consent to a relationship with a new government in British India responsible to an Indian legislature.
The report also noted the concerns of the rulers about a possible transfer of control by an elected Indian legislature and stated that the Viceroy, rather than the Governor-General in Council, should be the Crown agent in dealing with the States. However, the State People’s Conference submitted a written statement to the Butler Committee declaring their objective to be representative and responsible government in the Indian states and all left parties also strongly criticized the report.
Conclusion
The Butler Committee’s recommendations were significant in reaffirming the paramountcy doctrine and clarifying the relationship between the British Raj and the Princely States. However, the question of sovereignty and paramountcy remained a contentious issue and would continue to be debated in the years leading up to India’s independence in 1947.
