State and Government in Ancient India c13.124

c13.124

The President of the Executive Council was probably the President of the Assembly also. Besides supervising the general administration, one of the chief concerns of the President was to ensure internal harmony by promoting concord and preventing quarrels.² For internal dissension was the main weakness of a Gaṇa state, which often contributed to its downfall. Foreign affairs constituted the portfolio of one member; he used to receive the reports of spies and members of the secret service. Treasury was in charge of a second member; he was also authorised to invest the state funds and to realise the state debts.³ Justice was the portfolio of a third member; he was to decide civil and criminal cases, probably as an applellate court, according to the laws of the land.⁴ The *Arthaśāstra* describes how hostile kings would try to bring him into disrepute by sending young widows to him, ostensibly for the purpose of pleading for their rights to property, but really for leading them astray into the path of vice. The police and revenue must have been the portfolios of two members, as also trade and industry; we should not forget that many of the republics were as much noted for their military traditions as for their commercial pre-eminence.⁵