HistoryModern India: Rebels and the Raj

In 1857-58, in the region where resistance to the British lasted long…

In 1857-58, in the region where resistance to the British lasted longest, plans of counter-attack were being drawn up by which court?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → The Lucknow court

Option (1) The Mughal court at Delhi — Incorrect. Delhi was the symbolic centre of the revolt and the first target of the British attack, so rebel rule there ended early.

Option (2) The court of Nana Sahib at Kanpur — Incorrect. Nana Sahib led the rebels at Kanpur. Kanpur is one of the places where rebel structures could not hold out for long.

Option (3) The Lucknow court — Correct. The region is Awadh. There the Lucknow court drew up plans of counter-attack, and hierarchies of command stayed in place till early 1858.

Option (4) The court of the Rani of Jhansi — Incorrect. The Rani of Jhansi led the revolt in Jhansi, a state outside Awadh.

NCERT (2026-27): “3.3 The search for alternative power …
The administrative structures established by the rebels were primarily aimed at meeting the demands of war. However, in most cases these structures could not survive the British onslaught. But in Awadh, where resistance to the British lasted longest, plans of counter-attack were being drawn up by the Lucknow court and hierarchies of command were in place as late as the last months of 1857 and the early part of 1858.”