The sunset law' was associated with which of the following Land revenue systems?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 3:

The "Sunset Law" was a significant feature directly linked to the Permanent Settlement system, also known as the Zamindari System, introduced in 1793 by Lord Cornwallis in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. This law stipulated that if a Zamindar (landlord) failed to pay the fixed amount of land revenue to the British by a specific date, usually before sunset on that designated day, their Zamindari rights would be confiscated and auctioned off. The law was ruthless in its implementation, leading to the sale of many estates and ensuring that the revenue collection by the British government was rigid and uninterrupted, irrespective of whether the Zamindar had collected revenue from the cultivators or not. This created a new class of loyal Zamindars but also led to great hardship for cultivators and instability for many old Zamindari families.

The incorrect option is 1: Mahalwari system

The Mahalwari system was primarily introduced in the Ganga Valley, North-West Provinces, parts of Central India, and Punjab, based on a system devised by Holt Mackenzie in 1822 and later revised by William Bentinck in 1833. Under this system, the settlement was made with the village community, or 'Mahal', which collectively owned the land and was responsible for paying the revenue. While the revenue was periodically revised, often every 20-30 years, it lacked the punitive, non-negotiable deadline mechanism characteristic of the Sunset Law; failure to pay led to collective village land being confiscated, not the individual, single-day forfeiture of a Zamindar's estate as seen in the Permanent Settlement.

The incorrect option is 2: Rayyatwari system

The Ryotwari (or Ryatwari) system was introduced in parts of Madras, Bombay, and Assam. In this system, the direct settlement was made between the government and the individual cultivator, or 'Ryot'. The land revenue rates were fixed for a specific period, and the Ryot had ownership rights as long as they paid the revenue. Since there were no intermediary Zamindars involved, the rigid "Sunset Law" concerning the sale of Zamindari estates did not apply here. The system focused on direct individual liability for revenue payment, distinct from the intermediary system that the Sunset Law enforced.

The incorrect option is 4: Ain-e-Dehsala system

The Ain-e-Dehsala (or Todar Mal's Bandobast) was a revenue system implemented during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar, primarily under the administration of Todar Mal. This system involved calculating the average produce and average price of crops over the previous ten years to fix the state's share of the revenue. As a pre-colonial revenue policy established centuries before the British arrived, it has no association whatsoever with the "Sunset Law," which was a British colonial legal instrument designed specifically to enforce the Permanent Settlement.