Speech on East India Bill - Part B

  • How is the East India Company charter different from other charters? [NU. 2015]

The East India Company charter is different from other charters in many ways and because of these differences the people of India suffered a lot. The charters of King John and King Henry known as the chartered rights of men were dear to the heart of every Englishman. Burke argued that the East India Company charter was fundamentally different. 


The East India Company charter was formed on different principles that were not found in charters like the Magna Carta. Magna Charta is a charter to restrain power, and to destroy monopoly. The East India charter is a charter to establish monopoly, and to create power. Political power and commercial monopoly are not the rights of men. So it is illogical to call the chartered rights of men. These chartered rights sometimes went against basic human rights.