Criminal Tribes Acts

British colonial legislation, enacted in India in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that designated entire hereditary groups and castes as “criminal tribes” and subjected them to surveillance and restrictions. These acts made hereditary caste logic the basis of colonial law by labeling whole communities as inherently criminal.

Claims that use this term

• The Criminal Tribes Acts labeled whole hereditary groups as criminal.
• The Criminal Tribes Acts made hereditary caste logic the basis of colonial law.