i) Administration of Ranjit Singh:
The only system of government known to the Indian subcontinent at that time was despotism. Ranjit Singh had neither the necessary intellectual training nor the inclination to make bold innovations in the system of government.
The Maharaja was the embodiment of all civil and political authority in the state. Ranjit Singh, however, was a benevolent despot and looked to the welfare of the people. He considered himself as a servant of the Khalsa or the Sikh Commonwealth and acted in the name of the Khalsa.
He even designated his government ‘Sarkar-i-Khalsaji’ and struck coins in the name of Guru Nanak and Guru Govind Singh. Although the Maharaja was the pivot of the administration, yet there was a Council of Ministers to help him in the task of administration. He divided the kingdom into provinces, each under a Nazim. A province was further subdivided into districts, each under the charge of a Kardar. At the village level the Panchayats functioned effectively.
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ii) Land Revenue and Justice:
The main source of income of the state was land revenue which was collected with great severity. The state demand was fixed between 33% and 40%, depending on the fertility and richness of the soil. The Maharaja was anxious to safeguard the interests of the peasantry and issued instructions to the marching armies not to destroy standing crops or damage them in any way. To the sons of the peasantry, the Sikh army provided ample opportunities for employment.
The administration of justice was rough and ready. There was no hierarchy of courts as we find today. The administration of justice was more of a local than a national concern. The local officers decided cases according to local custom. An Adalat-i-Ala was set up at Lahore which probably heard appeals from the district and provincial courts. Excessive fines were imposed on the criminals, of course depending on the means of the offenders. Even the most heinous crime could be forgiven in return for money payment. Justice was thus looked upon as a source of income to the state.
iii) Military Administration:
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Ranjit Singh gave his maximum care to the maintenance of an efficient army. If he had built a kingdom out of atoms with the help of armed strength, a strong army was necessary to maintain its frontiers. Besides, faced with enemies on all sides, an efficient army was a necessity. Ranjit Singh’s genius was best displayed in the organisation of an excellent fighting army. Ranjit Singh adopted the system of ‘Mahadari’ or monthly payment of salaries to soldiers and officers and gave care to the equipment and mobilisation aspects of the army.
A Model Army or Fauj-i-Khas was raised in 1822 by General Ventura and Allard. The special brigade had its own emblem and Used French words of command in drill. The normal strength of this Model Army consisted of four battalions of infantry, three regiments of cavalry besides the artillery wing. Ilahi Baksh headed the artillery department of Fauj-i-Khas. A special feature of Ranjit Singh’s army was the employment of Europeans in the service of the state.
At one time there were 39 foreign officers drawn from different nationalities of the world, namely, Frenchmen, Germans, Americans, Greeks, Spaniards, Russians, Scotch, Englishmen and Anglo-Indians. It has been estimated that in 1835 the strength of Ranjit Singh’s army stood at 75,000 which included about 35,000 regularly trained, disciplined and equipped troops. Ranjit Singh’s army proved an effective fighting force which got the better of the Afghans, the Gorkhas and the Dogras and even baffled the British in the two Sikh wars.