When was the Criminal Tribes Act passed?
A. In 1889
B. In 1871
C. In 1878
D. In 1870
VerifiedHint: All the legislature passed by the British in India since 1870 are together known as the Criminal Tribes Acts. These Acts passed during colonial rule, collectively criminalized the entire community, labeling them as habituated criminals.
Complete answer:
The Criminal Tribes Act was passed in 1871. This Act applied mostly in North India. However, the Act was extended over Bengal and neighboring areas by 1876.
The bill was first proposed by a British official, T V Stephens in 1871. There were three criminal tribes’ Acts that were passed by the British during colonial rule. These were:
A. Criminal Tribes Act 1871
B. Criminal Tribes Act 1911
C. Criminal Tribes Act 1924
The second CTA, the Criminal Tribes Act 1911, was extended to the Madras Presidency. Following several amendments in the next ten years or so, the third CTA was passed. The Criminal Tribes Act of 1924 incorporated all the presidencies of India.
These Acts labeled social and ethnic communities in India as habitual criminals. They were accused of habitually committing non-bailable offenses. The movement of these habitual criminals was restricted and adult male members were bound to report to local police stations once a week. This Act was repealed by the Government of India post-independence in August 1949.
Thus, The correct answer is "Option B."
Note: The Criminal Tribes Acts were replaced by the Government of India with the Habitual Offenders Act of 1952. With this new Act coming into force the former criminal tribes were denotified. Most of these tribes are today known as Vimukta Jatis or the ex-criminal tribes. These tribes are still stereotyped by the media and police and continue to face hardships.
