Which of the following kingdoms was NOT annexed by applying the "Doctrine of Lapse"?

Correct Option

The correct option is

Punjab

Explanation

The Doctrine of Lapse was an annexation policy applied by the British East India Company in India until 1859. Implemented primarily by Lord Dalhousie (Governor-General, 1848–1856), the doctrine stated that any princely state under the direct or indirect control of the East India Company would automatically "lapse" (be annexed) if the ruler died without a natural male heir. Adopted heirs were not recognized for succession to the throne.

Detailed Analysis

• Satara (1848): This was the first state to be annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse following the death of Appa Sahib.
• Udaipur (1852): The state of Udaipur (in Chhattisgarh) was annexed under this doctrine due to the lack of a natural heir.
• Jhansi (1853): Following the death of Gangadhar Rao, the British refused to recognize his adopted son, Damodar Rao, as the legal heir and annexed the state under the Doctrine of Lapse.
• Punjab (1849): The Kingdom of Punjab was not annexed through the Doctrine of Lapse. It was annexed by the British East India Company following the Sikh defeat in the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848–1849). The annexation was a result of military conquest and the subsequent Treaty of Lahore, rather than a failure of heirship.

Other states annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse include Jaitpur and Sambalpur (1849), Baghat (1850), and Nagpur (1854). Awadh was annexed in 1856 on the grounds of "alleged misgovernance" (maladministration), not the Doctrine of Lapse.

Key Takeaway

Punjab was annexed through military conquest (Second Anglo-Sikh War), whereas Satara, Jhansi, and Nagpur were annexed through the administrative policy of the Doctrine of Lapse.