Consider the following statements regarding the British policy in Awadh immediately after its annexation in 1856 : 1. The **taluqdars** were dispossessed of their estates but allowed to retain their arms and forts. 2. A Summary Revenue Settlement was made in 1856 assuming that the **taluqdars** were outsiders. 3. The British believed in taking revenue directly from the peasants by removing the **taluqdars**. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

QUESTION

Medium

Modern History

Prelims 2026

Consider the following statements regarding the British policy in Awadh immediately after its annexation in 1856 :

The taluqdars were dispossessed of their estates but allowed to retain their arms and forts.
A Summary Revenue Settlement was made in 1856 assuming that the taluqdars were outsiders.
The British believed in taking revenue directly from the peasants by removing the taluqdars.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Select an option to attempt

Explanation

Statement 1 is Incorrect: Prior to the annexation, Awadh's landed aristocracy (taluqdars) maintained private armies and forts. Immediately after the British took over in 1856, they were systematically dispossessed of their estates, disarmed, and their forts were completely destroyed.

Statement 2 is Correct: The first British land revenue settlement in Awadh was the Summary Settlement of 1856. It was explicitly based on the assumption that the taluqdars were "interlopers" (outsiders) who had no permanent or hereditary stakes in the land, having allegedly seized control through force and fraud.

Statement 3 is Correct: The primary objective of the Summary Settlement was to bypass the taluqdars and settle land revenue directly with the actual cultivators (peasants/ryots). British land revenue officers believed that removing the taluqdars would reduce peasant exploitation and increase the state's revenue streams.

Therefore, option A is the correct answer.

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