Criminal Tribes Act
The Criminal Tribes Act was one of the many laws passed by the British colonial government that applied to Indians based on their religion and caste identification. The Criminal Tribes Act and its provisions used the term Tribes, which included castes within their scope. This terminology was preferred for various reasons, including Muslim sensitivities that considered castes by definition Hindu, and preferred Tribes as a more generic term that included Muslims. The origins behind the creation of the act concerned Revolt of 1857 where many tribal chiefs as Dhan Singh Gurjar were labelled traitors and considered rebellious.