In 1835, Lord William Bentinck, the Governor-General of India, made a significant change in the official language of the East India Company. Prior to this change, Persian was the official language used for administrative and judicial matters in India. Persian had been used as the language of administration since the Mughal Empire, which lasted until the early 18th century.
However, under British rule, English began to replace Persian as the official language of administration. This shift was formalized by the English Education Act of 1835, often called the "Macaulay Minute," named after Thomas Babington Macaulay, who advocated for English to be the medium of instruction in schools and for it to become the primary language of government.
Why Persian was replaced:
Persian had been the official language of the Mughal administration, but with the East India Company's increasing influence and the British colonial strategy, English was seen as more practical for consolidating British control.
English was considered a more useful language for the growing presence of the British administration and the increasing interaction with the wider British Empire.
The change was also a part of the British broader policy to "anglicize" the Indian elite and ensure their loyalty through education and administrative reforms.
Thus, Persian was officially replaced by English as the language of administration in 1835, making English the primary language for government affairs, legal proceedings, and official communication in British India.
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