Question

Which act withdrew the privilege of free postage enjoyed by the Indian sepoys?
(A) General Service Enlistment Act
(B) Post Office Act
(C) Charter Act
(D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint: It was in 1727, the East India Company opened its first post office in India. The Indian sepoys used to enjoy the privilege of free postal services till this Act enacted in 1854.

Complete answer: The Indian sepoys during the British period had to work in places far away from their homelands and the use of free postage was a help for them to retain communication with their distant families. In 1854, the India Post Office Act was passed after Lord Dalhousie introduced uniform postage rates.
Thus the privilege of free postal services enjoyed by the Indian sepoys was withdrawn.

Option (A): Charles Canning in 1856, introduced the General Service Enlistment Act. Under this act, the Indian soldiers had to go overseas if required for deployment. This option is thus incorrect.
Option (B): It was through the Post Office Act, the privilege of Indian sepoys to use free postage was taken away. Thus this option is correct.
Option (C): The British Parliament renewed the East India Company's charter for another 20 years through the Charter Act of 1813., also called the East India Company Act. It was this act which defined the constitutional position of British Indian territories, for the first time. This option is incorrect.
Option (D) is irrelevant since there is a correct option among others.
The option (B) is correct.

Note: The Government Savings Bank Act, 1873, The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, The Indian Post Office Act, 1898 are some of the major acts that passed during the times of British rule in India. The most widely distributed postal system in the world today is the Indian Postal Services.