Colonial Legacy of the Criminal Tribes Act 1871: The Trajectory of the State –led Stigmatization and Marginalization of Nomadic Communities

Registration ID: IJNRD_310755

Published ID: IJNRD2511312

: https://doi.org/10.56975/ijnrd.v10i11.310755

About Hard Copy and Transparent Peer Review Report

Digvijay Singh Pathani

nomadism, colonialism, social justice

Nomadism, in the context of India, was a way of life for several communities. This itinerant lifestyle sometimes had an economic rationale, as in the case of transhumant pastoralists and traveling traders and craftsmen. At other times, it was a response to prolonged stressful events in history, such as long-drawn wars and famines. These communities, not bound to specific geographic locales, would often cross political boundaries of states. The British colonial state in India often viewed these communities with suspicion. The colonial state's belief in the establishment of a strong, well-ordered state system with defined political boundaries clashed with the mobile lifestyle of such nomadic and semi-nomadic communities. In order to establish control over these communities and force them to adopt settled lifestyles, the British introduced the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871. This legislation made provisions for strict surveillance, control, and regulation of the movements of entire communities declared "habitually criminal." This led to the continued stigmatization and marginalization of these communities, who were vulnerable to brutal treatment by the colonial police. After independence, with the repeal of the Criminal Tribes Act, these communities came to be known as "De-notified Tribes." However, they remained vulnerable to victimization by the state and police through the newly enacted Habitual Offenders Act of 1952. The long-term stigmatization by the colonial state led to continued marginalization of such communities even after independence. Considerable efforts are still needed for the effective social inclusion and welfare of these communities. In this paper, we examine the trajectory of the stigmatization and marginalization of nomadic communities by the colonial state, as well as post-independence efforts toward their social inclusion and welfare.

Published Paper   E-Certificate

Digvijay Singh Pathani (November-2025). Colonial Legacy of the Criminal Tribes Act 1871: The Trajectory of the State –led Stigmatization and Marginalization of Nomadic Communities. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NOVEL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, 10(11), d220-d225. https://doi.org/10.56975/ijnrd.v10i11.310755

Volume 10 Issue 11, November-2025

Pages : d220-d225

Paper Reg. ID: IJNRD_310755

Published Paper Id: IJNRD2511312

Research Area: Other area not in list

Author Type: Indian Author

Country: Nainital, Uttarakhand, India

Published Paper PDF: https://ijnrd.org/papers/IJNRD2511312.pdf

Published Paper URL: https://ijnrd.org/viewpaperforall?paper=IJNRD2511312

Crossref DOI: https://doi.org/10.56975/ijnrd.v10i11.310755

Journal Name: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NOVEL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT(IJNRD)

UGC CARE JOURNAL PUBLICATION | ISSN: 2456-4184 | IMPACT FACTOR: 8.76 Calculated By Google Scholar | ESTD YEAR: 2016

An International UGC CARE JOURNAL PUBLICATION, Low Cost, Scholarly Open Access, Peer-Reviewed, Refereed Journal Impact Factor 8.76 Calculate by Google Scholar and Semantic Scholar | AI-Powered Research Tool, Multidisciplinary, Monthly, Multilanguage Journal Indexing in All Major Database & Metadata, Citation Generator

Publisher: IJNRD (IJ Publication) Janvi Wave | IJNRD.ORG | IJNRD.COM | IJPUB.ORG

© 2026 - Authors hold the copyright of this article. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. and The Open Definition. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). 🛡️ Disclaimer: The content, data, and findings in this article are based on the authors’ research and have been peer-reviewed for academic purposes only. Readers are advised to verify all information before practical or commercial use. The journal and its editorial board are not liable for any errors, losses, or consequences arising from its use.

Call For Paper - Volume 11 | Issue 4 | April 2026

IJNRD is a Scholarly Open Access, Peer-Reviewed, Refereed, and UGC CARE Journal Publication with a High Impact Factor of 8.76 (calculated by Google Scholar & Semantic Scholar | AI-Powered Research Tool). It is a Multidisciplinary, Monthly, Low-Cost, and Transparent Peer Review Journal Publication that adheres to the New UGC CARE Transparent Peer-Reviewed Journal Policy and aligns with Scopus Journal Publication standards to ensure the highest level of research quality and credibility.

IJNRD offers comprehensive Journal Publication Services including indexing in all major databases and metadata repositories, Digital Object Identifier (Crossref DOI) assignment for each published article with additional fees, citation generation tools, and full Open Access visibility to enhance global research reach and citation impact.

The INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NOVEL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IJNRD) aims to advance applied, theoretical, and experimental research across diverse academic and professional fields. The journal promotes global knowledge exchange among researchers, developers, academicians, engineers, and practitioners, serving as a trusted platform for innovative, peer-reviewed journal publication and scientific collaboration.

Indexing Coverage: Google Scholar, SSRN, ResearcherID-Publons, Semantic Scholar (AI-Powered Research Tool), Microsoft Academic, Academia.edu, arXiv.org, ResearchGate, CiteSeerX, ResearcherID (Thomson Reuters), Mendeley, DocStoc, ISSUU, Scribd, and many other recognized academic repositories.

Transparent Peer Review Journal Publication: IJNRD operates a strict double-blind peer review system managed by 3000+ expert reviewers, ensuring ethical, unbiased, and high-quality review for every research paper.

For Indian Authors : Get a transparent peer review report from Scholar9.com for just ₹1000. View Sample Report

For Foreign Authors : A detailed peer review report is available through Scholar9.com for $20 USD. View Sample Report

Transparent Peer Review Journal Publication

⭐ Transparent Peer Review | 🕵️‍♂️ Double-Blind | 👨‍🏫 3000+ Expert Reviewers | 🇮🇳 Report for India Author ₹1000 | 🌐 Report for Foreign Author $20 | 📄 Sample Reports on Scholar9.com | 🌍 High Credibility | ⚖️ Ethical & Unbiased Evaluation

How to submit the paper?

By Our website

Click Here to Submit Paper Online

By Mail

Send your paper to editor@ijnrd.org

Recently, the UGC discontinued the UGC-CARE Journal List and introduced new parameters that allow publication in Transparent Peer-Reviewed (Refereed) Journals. IJNRD is Transparent Peer Review Journal Valid As per New UGC Notification.

You can now publish your research paper in IJNRD.ORG. IJNRD is a Transparent Peer-Reviewed Open Access (Refereed Journal), UGC and UGC CARE Approved, Crossref DOI, Multidisciplinary, Impact Factor calculate by Google Scholar. As an International, open-access, and online journal, Publishing with us ensures wider reach, academic credibility, and enhanced recognition for your work.

For more details, refer to the official notice: UGC Public Notice

⭐ Low Cost ₹1570 | 📚 UGC CARE Approved | 🔍 Peer-Reviewed | 🌐 Open Access | 🔗 Crossref DOI & Global Indexing | 📊 Google Scholar Impact Factor | 🧪 Multidisciplinary

Submit Paper Online  Call for Paper  About IJNRD UGC CARE Approval

Important Dates for Current issue

Paper Submission Open For: April 2026

Current Issue: Volume 11 | Issue 4 | April 2026

Impact Factor: 8.76

Last Date for Paper Submission: Till 31-May-2026

Notification of Review Result: Transparent peer review process - your paper is evaluated by experts, and you receive acceptance or rejection updates via email and SMS.

Publication of Paper: Once all documents are submitted, your paper is published without delay, and you can instantly download your certificate and confirmation letter online.

Frequency: Monthly (12 issue Annually).

Journal Type: IJNRD is an international open-access journal offering Low Cost Journal Publication, transparent Peer Review Journal Publication, Crossref DOI, and multidisciplinary research visibility under UGC CARE Approved Journal Publication.

Subject Category: Research Area

Approval, Licenses and Indexing: More Details

Call For Paper - Volume 11 | Issue 4 | April 2026

IJNRD.org offers low-cost journal publication starting at ₹1570 with UGC CARE Approved, refereed, peer-reviewed, open-access publishing. This multidisciplinary monthly journal, available in both online and print formats, features a strong Google Scholar-based impact factor of 8.76, Transparent Peer Review, CrossRef DOI, global indexing, fast publication, and complete metadata for maximum research visibility and citation impact across multidisciplinary domains.

Volume 11 | Issue 4 | April 2026 | IJNRD Transparent Peer Review Certificate | Submit Paper Online till 31-May-2026

⭐ UGC CARE Approved Refereed Journal | 🔍 Transparent Peer Review | 🌐 Open Access Publishing | 💰 Low-Cost ₹1570 | 🔗 CrossRef DOI & Global Indexing | 📊 Google Scholar Impact Factor 8.76 | 🧪 Multidisciplinary | Online & Print

Submit Paper Online