On which date is Vimukta Jati (Denotified Tribes) Day celebrated in Madhya Pradesh?
- (a)31 August
- (b)15 July
- (c)15 September
- (d)21 March
Correct — A, 31 August. Madhya Pradesh observes Vimukta Jati (Denotified Tribes) Day on 31 August — the date on which the colonial Criminal Tribes Act, 1871, which had branded numerous nomadic and wandering communities as 'born criminals', was repealed in 1952, five years after Independence.
- (b)15 July — No recognised Denotified Tribes observance falls on this date; it has no connection to the Criminal Tribes Act repeal.
- (c)15 September — Not linked to the repeal of the Criminal Tribes Act or to DNT history.
- (d)21 March — 21 March is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination — a different UN observance, unrelated to India's Denotified Tribes.
The Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 was a colonial law that formally 'notified' certain communities — nomadic groups, wandering castes, and tribes — as habitually engaged in crime, subjecting them to compulsory registration, restricted movement, and forced settlement. It was repealed on 31 August 1952 and replaced by the Habitual Offenders Act. Communities freed from this stigma are called Denotified Tribes (DNTs), a social-justice category distinct from SC/ST/OBC.
Madhya Pradesh has a sizeable Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribe (DNT/NT/SNT) population; the state marks the anniversary of the Act's repeal as Vimukta Jati Diwas. The exam trap is confusing this date with generic tribal-welfare observances or unrelated UN calendar days.
- Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 — colonial law branding communities as 'born criminals'
- Repealed 31 August 1952; replaced by the Habitual Offenders Act
- Communities so denotified are called Denotified Tribes (DNTs) — distinct from SC/ST/OBC
- National Commission for DNT/NT/SNTs (Idate Commission, reconstituted 2015) studied their welfare and submitted its report in 2018
31 August marks the Act's repeal — the date now observed as Vimukta Jati Diwas.
- Confusing Vimukta Jati Diwas with generic tribal-welfare days (e.g., World Indigenous Peoples' Day, 9 August)
- Assuming Denotified Tribes are the same as Scheduled Tribes
MPPSC tests the exact date/nomenclature of the state observance; UPSC more often tests the definition and colonial origin of the term 'Denotified Tribes' rather than the calendar date.
In the Indian context the term De-notified tribes refers to
- (a) tribes which are aboriginals
- (b) nomadic tribes
- (c) tribes practising shifting cultivation
- (d) tribes which were earlier classified as criminal tribes
Answer(d) tribes which were earlier classified as criminal tribes
Same underlying concept — Denotified Tribes as communities de-listed from the colonial 'criminal tribes' classification under the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Criminal Tribes Act, whose repeal is marked by Vimukta Jati Diwas, was originally enacted by the colonial government in which year?
- (a)1871
- (b)1919
- (c)1935
- (d)1952
Answer(a) 1871 — the Act was repealed in 1952, not enacted then.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, popularly known after its chairperson, is called the:
- (a)Idate Commission
- (b)Mandal Commission
- (c)Sarkaria Commission
- (d)Bhuria Commission
Answer(a) Idate Commission — chaired by Bhiku Ramji Idate; it submitted its report in 2018.