Which Act is regarded as the first legislative interference by the British Parliament in the affairs of the East India Company in India?

Introduction / Context:
This question is from the constitutional and administrative history of British India. Initially, the East India Company ruled Indian territories with minimal direct supervision from the British Parliament. As the Company's political and financial problems grew, Parliament began to intervene through legislation. Knowing which Act marked the first such interference helps you follow the evolution of British control over the Company and, indirectly, over India.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question asks for the first legislative interference by the British Parliament in Company affairs in India.
• Options include Fox's India Bill (1783), Pitt's India Act (1784), the Regulating Act (1773) and the Declaratory Act (1781).
• We assume the standard chronological order of these Acts as presented in Indian history textbooks.
• We focus on the earliest Act that attempted to regulate the Company's administration in India.

Concept / Approach:
The Regulating Act of 1773 was the first major step by the British Parliament to regulate the affairs of the East India Company. It aimed to address mismanagement and corruption by bringing Company rule under tighter supervision. The Act created the post of Governor-General of Bengal (with a council), asserted parliamentary oversight and attempted to regulate the Company's political and financial activities. Later measures like Pitt's India Act of 1784 improved the system and created the Board of Control, but they came after 1773 and thus cannot be called the first interference.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Arrange the Acts chronologically: Regulating Act (1773), Declaratory Act (1781), Fox's India Bill (1783, never enacted), Pitt's India Act (1784).Step 2: Identify which of these represents Parliament's first attempt to control the Company's administration in India.Step 3: Recognise that the Regulating Act, 1773, established a regulated government in Bengal under a Governor-General and made the Company's political functions subject to parliamentary control.Step 4: Note that Pitt's India Act, 1784, further modified the arrangement but did not come first.Step 5: Fox's India Bill was proposed in 1783 but failed to pass, so it cannot be considered an enacted first interference.Step 6: The Declaratory Act, 1781, clarified certain provisions but followed the Regulating Act.Step 7: Therefore, the correct answer is the Regulating Act, 1773.

Verification / Alternative check:
Standard modern Indian history textbooks treat the Regulating Act, 1773, as the first important parliamentary measure to control the East India Company's governance of Indian territories. MCQ compilations often ask this question in exactly the same form and mark Regulating Act, 1773, as the correct option. This consistent treatment across reference materials confirms our answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Fox's India Bill, 1783: A proposed measure that did not become law; it cannot be counted as an enacted first interference.Pitt's India Act, 1784: A major reform that created the Board of Control, but it came after the Regulating Act.Declaratory Act, 1781: Supplementary to the Regulating Act; it clarified, rather than initiated, parliamentary control.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse Pitt's India Act with the Regulating Act because both involve parliamentary control. Others see the later Act as more famous and assume it must have been first. To avoid such mistakes, remember a simple rule: the first major parliamentary intervention was the Regulating Act of 1773; Pitt's India Act, 1784, refined and strengthened that regulatory framework.

Final Answer:
The first legislative interference by the British Parliament in the affairs of the East India Company in India was the Regulating Act, 1773.