Denotified Tribes (DNTs)

Denotified Tribes (DNTs)

இந்தியாவில் 160 சாதிகள் கிரிமினலோடு தொடர்புடையவர்கள் ,கண் காணிக்க படவேண்டிய வர்கள் என்ற சட்டம் 1871 அக்டோபர் 12 இல் இயற்றப்பட்டது . இதில் குறவர்கள்  , தேவர் அனைவரும் கொலை ,கொள்ளை மற்றும் பித்தலாட்டங்களில் ஈடுபட்டதால் இவர்கள் எச்சரிக்கையாய் பழக வேண்டியவர்கள் என்று ஆங்கிலேயர்கள் சட்டம் கொண்டு வந்தார்கள் 1952  இல் தான் இச் சட்டம் விலக்கிக்கொள்ளப்பட்டு பொது Habitual Offender’s Act.
வந்தது  

Denotified Tribes (DNTs), also known as Vimukta Jati,[1] are the tribes that were originally listed under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871,[2] as "Criminal Tribes" and "addicted to the systematic commission of non-bailable offences." Once a tribe became "notified" as criminal, all its members were required to register with the local magistrate, failing which they would be charged with a "crime" under the Indian Penal Code. The Criminal Tribes Act of 1952 repealed the notification, i.e. 'de-notified' the tribal communities. This Act, however, was replaced by a series of Habitual Offenders Acts, that asked police to investigate a "suspect's" "criminal tendencies" and whether their occupation is "conducive to settled way of life." The denotified tribes were reclassified as "habitual offenders" in 1959.

The name "Criminal Tribes" is itself a misnomer as no definition of tribe denotes occupation, but they were identified as tribes "performing" their primary occupation. The first census was in 1871 and at that time there was no consensus nor any definition of what constitutes a "tribe". The terms "tribe" and "caste" were used interchangeably for these communities.

Call for repeal[edit source]
The UN's anti-discrimination body Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) asked India to repeal the Habitual Offenders Act (1952) and effectively rehabilitate the denotified and nomadic tribes on 9 March 2007.[3]

Reservations[edit source]
In 2008, the National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNSNT) of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment recommended equal reservations, as available to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, for around 110 million people belonging to the denotified tribes, nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes in India.[4] Along with the tribes designated as, "Nomadic" or "Semi-Nomadic", the denotified tribes are eligible for reservation.[5][6]

In 1952, the Indian Government withdrew the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 throughout India and enacted Habitual Offender’s Act. This act does not depart significantly from the Criminal Tribes Act from which it is derived. Both the Criminal Tribes Act and the Habitual Offender's Act negate the universally proclaimed principle that "all human beings are born free and equal". The listing of these denotified and nomadic under the Habitual Offender’s Act also negates the principle of the criminal justice system – innocent until proven guilty.

Denotified Tribes
1. Attur Kilnad Koravars
2. Attur Meland Koravars
3. Appanad Kondayam Kottai Maravar
4. Ambalakarar
5. Ambalakkarar
6. Boyas
7. Battu Turkas
8. C.K. Koravars
9. Chakkala
10. Changayampudi Koravars
11. Chettinad Valayars
12. Dombs
13. Dobba Koravars
14. Dommars
15. Donga Boya
16. Donga Ur. Korachas
17. Devagudi Talayaris
18. Dobbai Korachas
19. Dabi Koravars
20. Donga Dasaris
21. Gorrela Dodda Boya
22. Gudu Dasaris
23. Gandarvakottai Koravars
24. Gandarvakottai Kallars
25. Inji Korvars
26. Jogis
27. Jambavanodai
28. Kaladis
29. Kal oddars
30. Koravars
31. Kalinji Dabikoravars
32. Kootappal kallars
33. Kala Koravars
34. Kalavathila Boyas
35. Kepmaris
36. Maravars
37. Monda Koravars
38. Monda Golla
39. Mutlakampatti
40. Nokkars
41. Nellorepet Oddars
42. Oddars
43. Pedda Boyas
44. Ponnai Koravars
45. Piramalai kallars
46. Peria Suriyur Kallars
47. Padayachi
48. Punnan Vettuva Gounder
49. c
50. Salem Melnad Koravars
51. Salem Uppu Koravars
52. Sakkaraithamadai Koravars
53. Saranga palli Koravars
54. Sooramari Oddars
55. Sembanad Maravars
56. Thalli Koravars
57. Thelungapatti Chettis
58. Thottia Naickers
59. Thogamalai Koravars or Kepmaris
60. Uppukoravars or Settipalli Koravars
61. Urali Gounders
62. Wayalpad or Nawalpeta Korachas
63. Vaduvarpatti Koravars
64. Valayars
65. Vettaikarar
66. Vetta Koravars
67. Varaganeri Koravars
68. Vettuva Gounder
Source: Renke commission -200



Facts About Criminal Tribes Of India
BY Megha Mohanty, 05 Sep, 2017

Denotified Tribes or ‘Vimukta Jati’ include more than two hundred communities of people who had originally been listed under the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871. (Criminal Tribes Act, n.d.)  The Criminal Tribes Act was initially meant to suppress “predatory castes” and was put into place with the vision of a ‘secure and prosperous’ country. It is also believed that the British Raj categorized some of these tribes as ‘Criminal Tribes’ due to their participation in the Indian freedom struggle. This is not considered one of the primary reasons though. At first, the Act was limited to only North India, but it soon spread to Bengal in 1876 and then to the Madras Presidency (South India) in 1911. Though initially intended to contain only 150 notified castes, the list continued to grow over the years.

After independence, the Criminal Tribes Act was repealed in 1949 and these tribes were ‘denotified’ under the Habitual Offenders Act, 1953 (Delhi High Court, n.d.) . When a tribe is listed as ‘denotified’, all the members of the community are bound to register with the local magistrate, failing which they are liable to be prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code.

There are several reasons due to which these tribes were classified as criminals. For example, the Bulandshahr Gang Rape of 2016 (Goswami, 2016) was an incident which turned the spotlight on the Bawaria tribe of Uttar Pradesh. The police claim that they have been committing such crimes since centuries. During night time, they break into cars and rob houses and are especially notorious for harassing young women. The Census of India, 1881 states that they are ‘much addicted to crime’, thieving comes easily to them and their ‘skill in tracking wild animals is notorious’.

Due to the social stigma thrust upon these people, they live in social alienation with no political representation and no reservations under the Scheduled Castes (SCs) or the Scheduled Tribes (STs) lists. They have no means of livelihood. Due to their unstable nomadic lifestyle, their children are deprived of education. Their lives are plagued by ignorance, poverty and superstition. If an act of robbery or theft takes place in any area surrounding these tribes, the people belonging to them are automatically held responsible, arrested and subjected to torture. The society blindly considers them to be criminals by birth.

In 2008, The National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi- Nomadic Tribes (NCDNSNT) produced a report recommending equal reservation to the 11 crore people belonging to these communities as provided to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SCs and STs). The Commission also put forth suggestions of the initiation of special housing schemes to ensure these tribal people have access to proper housing and settlements in the form of villages, which would eventually lead to their social upliftment . (Mohapatra, 2007)


In 2007, the United Nation’s Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) urged the Government of India to repeal the Habitual Offenders Act and aim at the rehabilitation of these denotified tribes. The committee enumerated various examples of people of these tribes radically discriminated by the police and the society alike. (Rao, 2008)





The Madras High Court comprising of Hon’ble Justices S Nagamuthu and N Seshasayeerecently laid down alandmark judgment wherein they strongly questioned: the prejudice that people belonging to aparticular community will traditionally indulge in commission of particular type of crimes and the same could be inherited like family trade. The Division Bench went on to observe that;“Judiciary cannot afford to decide cases by tracing the criminal activities of the forefathers of the accused. Any finding of guilt based on no evidence but on communal considerations is unconstitutional. Let this be the last judgment ever written based on communal consideration”.This recent judgment is remarkably striking as it begs the question:how in an independent and democratic state,some communities are yet identified as hereditary criminals.

Historically the British regime, in order to safeguard their political hegemony, enacted draconian laws that declared certain tribes and communities in our country as habitual offenders and notified them as criminals. The Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 empowered the local Government to declare any tribe or gang or class of persons as a criminal tribe; apparently the purpose of the Act was to ensure peace, law and order by effectively controlling anti-social elements addicted to criminal activities. The law enforcement machinery amongst others, were granted with powers to maintain a registry of such tribes, to arrest without warrant, enforcere strictive movement to certain areas and insist on reporting at regular intervals.

The historical conceptualization of the Act is widely debated; whether the motive was a preventive legislation – aimed to political suppress or to exploit labour for private gain; it is suffice to say, classifying some tribes as criminals marked the beginning of social discrimination, economic oppression and political exclusion of these communities/tribes. It is despicable that the pernicious colonial legislation – the inherent suspicion and prejudiced mindset –is acutely widespread and deep-seated in today’s Criminal Justice System. Just imagine the plight if you are born into a community, which was historically disgraced and branded as criminals, and till date,continues to be ostracized, stigmatized and stereotyped by the mainstream society.

An estimated 160 communities (some reports indicate close to 200 communities) across the country have been branded as criminals under the Act; and even after its repeal in 1952, these tribes and communities continue to carry the stigma of criminality. Whilst abolishing the Act, Jawaharlal Nehru commented that, ‘the monstrous provisions of the Criminal Tribes Act constitute a negation of civil liberty. No tribe can be classed as criminal as such and the whole principle is out of consonance with all civilized principles’. Thus, these communities and tribes were officially denotified, and the term criminal tribes had to be done away with. However, unfortunately, with the introduction of legislations such as the Habitual Offenders Act and Prevention of Anti-Social Activity Act; and the prejudiced mindsets of the colonial myth prevailing strongly amongst the local administration and law enforcement machinery these denotified tribes continue to bear the brunt of harassment and violence.

It is argued that, the population of these tribes account for nearly 10% of the population including 198 tribes and approximately 1500 nomadic tribes. The 1931 census noted that even though these denotified tribes were not subject to social untouchability– as in the case of scheduled caste, these denotified tribes were the most oppressed of all. These denotified tribes are consciously made into easy targets; and every child born in these communities are perceived as prized trophies as they are falsely implicated to tally crime statistics in unresolved criminal cases – ranging from petty theft to murder to protect anti-social elements. Taking stock of the grave situation where a section of the population was subject to frequent police harassment; the Renke Commission as early as in 2008, amongst others, recommended for a revamp of the police-training module and called for massive awareness in the law enforcement as the police asserted these communities are criminals by birth. The tradition of branding denotified and nomadic tribes as born criminals is a travesty of justice; besides undue harassment merely on the basis of suspicion, they are also deprived of a dignified life with dignity. Appalling it is, that the anti-social legacy of the British and the culture of impunity of police sadly continue unabated.

In a first of its kind, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes commissioned a study in 2014 on alleged cases of police atrocities against the Kuravan communityin the state of Tamil Nadu. One of the three members of the special committee who undertook the study, Mr. V.A. Ramesh Nathan opined that,“there is a set pattern asKuravan men are taken into illegal detention only at night hours. On a frequent basis, they are picked up in groups, subjected to third degree torture and forced to give false confession statements for crimes they have not committed; the women are subject to untold verbal abuse and sexual harassment in front of their own family and some women have even attempted suicide. Worse is the plight of the young persons and children who are not spared, and as victims of physical and psychological abuse they drop out from school and live in constant threat of being nabbed as the next criminal”.

The lives of the denotified tribes is abysmal; their living conditions are below poverty line and they lack education, housing, employment, sanitation, decent and healthy living with clean drinking water and food. The Gvernment of India constituted a National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes in 2015, with a special mandate to assess the status, review progress of development and suggest appropriate measures for their upliftment. The lives of denotified communities is a concern for all with a right conscience; in this context, the Madras High Court’s momentous verdict reprimanding the traditional, colonial and regressive mindset of pinning of guilt based on communal considerations as unconstitutional is a welcome law. This celebrated judgment is a definite milestone that could ripple positive changes in the lives of the denotified and nomadic tribes who were victimized as community during colonial past and cut off from the mainstream citizenry of the country till date.

Monica Vincent is an analyst in Law and Public Policy, and a practising advocate at the Madras High Court and Madurai Bench.



In the state of Maharashtra, denotified tribes constitute five million people which is a sizeable section of the state’s population. In accordance with the growing population of these tribes in the state, Maharashtra set a milestone in 2016 when it decided to appoint a new ministry for the welfare of Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes (VJNT). (PTI, 2016)



These communities have been economically and socially backward since centuries and this is an important aspect to take into account. More often than not, these tribes are under threat from dominant communities and forced to occupy bottom of the societal strata taking up menial jobs while also being considered as outcasts by the rest of society. This economic marginalisation, cultural supremacy and political exclusion which they face are the basic reasons for their “criminal” behaviour. A group of individuals cannot be expected to change their way of life without any external support and rehabilitation. Efforts need to be taken to improve their situation and for this, education is the only solution, accompanied by societal cooperation. The groundwork for a collective movement to reaffirm their cultural identity needs to be put in place. That is the only way to reverse the age old inferiority that these people have faced.




The journey from “criminal” to “habitual offender” has been a painstakingly long and difficult one. It does not end here; it needs to continue until “equal citizen” status has been achieved by these tribes.