PERSPECTIVES
The state of India is based on a great tradition. The small kingdoms of the
Gangetic plains, the great empires of antiquity, the regional kingdoms of
medieval times, the Mughal empire, the British Indian empire and finally
the Union of India, mark the stages of political development. This
development encompassed all parts of the enormous country. Even the
medieval kingdoms, whose history was later regarded as a striking example
of centrifugal tendencies, served the purpose of reproducing everywhere a
uniform style of government. These early state formations were not
conceived of in territorial terms as modern states are. They consisted of
networks of towns and temples, warriors, priests and villages. There was a
great deal of local autonomy, but the ritual sovereignty of the king enabled
him to act as an umpire who could interfere in local conflicts and settle
issues.
The modern territorial state in India was introduced by the Great
Mughals, whose political, military and financial systems were copied by
their enemies and successors. The Mughals transformed the military
feudalism which prevailed at that time into a bureaucratic system,
although they did not clearly separate military and civil functions. The
imperial officers all held military ranks and administrative positions at one
and the same time. Many of them delegated the civil and administrative
duties to their servants.
The British, who took over the Mughal structure, ‘civilised’ it by
replacing the military officer by the civil servant. This civil service then
emerged as the ‘steel frame’ of the British Indian empire. At the same time
they introduced their law and their courts which soon penetrated the
Indian countryside. Local autonomy as well as the royal umpire were
superseded by judges. British legislation and jurisdiction made an impact
on Indian life. The alternating current of national agitation and
constitutional reform then introduced a commitment to the parliamentary
form of government. The process of devolution of power by which the
British continuously post-poned the grant of fully-fledged parliamentary
democracy made the Indian nationalists strive for the goal of a national
parliamentary government even more strongly. The federalism which the