The lapse of the paramountcy of the British crown over the Princely States did not imply which one of the following?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → This meant 565 states would not become legally independent even if they joined either India or Pakistan.
Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, there seems to be an ambiguity in the question. The ruler of Travancore’s announcement (Option 4) was an event that followed the lapse of paramountcy, not something the lapse itself implied; going strictly by the question, Options (2) and (4) are both not implications, though only Option (2) contradicts what the lapse meant, as explained below.
Option (1) They were free to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent. Implied (Incorrect). This was the view the British government took.
Option (2) This meant 565 states would not become legally independent even if they joined either India or Pakistan. Not implied (Correct). The lapse of paramountcy meant the very opposite: all these states, as many as 565 in all, would become legally independent.
Option (3) The decision was left not to the people but to the princely rulers of these states. Implied (Incorrect). This was a serious problem that could threaten the existence of a united India.
Option (4) The ruler of Travancore announced that the state had decided on Independence. Followed from it (Incorrect). It was the first of the problems that started soon after the announcement.
NCERT (2025-26): “The problem … Just before Independence it was announced by the British that with the end of their rule over India, paramountcy of the British crown over Princely States would also lapse. This meant that all these states, as many as 565 in all, would become legally independent. The British government took the view that all these states were free to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent if they so wished. This decision was left not to the people but to the princely rulers of these states. This was a very serious problem and could threaten the very existence of a united India. The problems started very soon. First of all, the ruler of Travancore announced that the state had decided on Independence.…” |