The State Legislature - Origin and Evolution Brief History
Before independence. The genesis of the Legislature in India can
be traced back to the eighteenth century, when the present Tamil
Nadu was a residuary part of the then erstwhile Madras
Presidency. The said Presidency comprised of the present Tamil
Nadu some parts of the present states of Orissa, Kerala,
Karnataka and present Andhra Pradesh excluding the former native
state of Nizam. Besides, Madras Presidency, there were two other
Presidencies, viz, Presidency of Bombay and Presidency of
Calcutta. Each Presidency was in charge of a Governor and were
independent of each other. In 1773, the British Parliament
enacted the Regulating Act, 1773, whereby the Governor of Bengal
was designated as the Governor-General and made the supreme head
of all the Presidencies. At about the same time, the legislative
power in the Presidencies was also recognized. The Charter Act
of 1833, provided for the addition of a fourth member to the
Governor-General in Council for