what was criminal tribal act?
Answers
Answer:
Various pieces of legislation in India during British Rule in the 1870's were collectively called the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA). They criminalized entire communities by designating them as habitual criminals. Since they were described as "habitually criminal", restrictions on their movements were also imposed. Adult male members of such groups were forced to report weekly to the local police.The first CTA, the Criminal Tribes Act 1871, applied mostly in North India. This Act was extended to the Bengal Presidency and other areas in 1876, and, finally, with the Criminal Tribes Act 1911, to Madras Presidency. The Act went through several amendments in the next decade, and, finally, the Criminal Tribes Act 1924 incorporated all of them.
At the time of Indian independence in 1947, thirteen million people in 127 communities faced search and arrest if any member of the group was found outside the prescribed area. The Act was repealed in August 1949 and former "criminal tribes" were identified in 1952, when the Act was replaced with the Habitual Offenders Act 1952 of Government of India, and in 1961 state governments started releasing lists of such tribes.