Pudukkottai Legislative Council

Pudukkottai Legislative Council was the legislative assembly which functioned in the princely state of Pudukkottai from 1924 to 1948. Made up of 50 members, 15 of whom were nominated, the assembly discussed issues of importance to the state and passed resolutions on them. The legislative council was eventually disbanded in 1948 when the state was annexed to the Dominion of India and became a part of Tiruchirappalli district.

Until 1850, legislations made in Pudukkottai state were limited to royal proclamations and British Indian laws were not in use. From 1850 onwards, British Indian laws were introduced in stages, with the Civil Procedure Code in 1859 and Indian Penal Code in 1868. Registration laws were enacted in 1876 and a police force was created the same year.

Until 1904, bills were drafted by the Diwan and circulated to the Assistant Diwan, Civil judge, Appeal judge and heads of departments for their opinion. Bills became law once the Raja gave his assent. In 1904, the function of drafting bills was delegated to a Law Committee. On the occasion of his Silver Jubilee in 1915, Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman inaugurated an Advisory Council composed of the State vakil, two members of the Representative Assembly and two members nominated by the Raja. The Council was purely advisory in nature and did not have any say in other matters.

The Pudukkottai Legislative Council owes its genesis to the state's first representative body - the Assembly of Nominated Representatives, which was inaugurated in 1902. Made up of 30 members nominated by various departments of the state administration, the assembly discussed the various laws and measures enacted in the previous year and drew up plans for the following one. Each member had a term of one year but this was later increased to three. In 1907, elections were introduced for 18 of the 30 seats in the assembly. This was reduced to 13 in 1913 but increased to 25 in 1916 as a gift by the Raja of Pudukkottai to his subjects.

The Pudukkottai Legislative Council was formed in 1924 and its first session was inaugurated on 29 September 1924 by the Diwan Raghunatha Pallavarayar in the presence of the British Agent for the Madras States Agency, C. W. E. Cotton. The council assumed the functions of the Representative Assembly as well as the Advisory Council. It had a total of 50 members of whom 35 were elected and the rest, nominated by the Raja. One reserved seat each for women and Dalits were introduced in 1927.

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