ABSTRACT
The Working Group on Denotified and Nomadic Tribes observed in its 2011 draft report that the communities are found in almost in all the states and belong to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category in some large states and to Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories in other states. In Karnataka, the National Commission Tribes/Denotified Tribes and Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes are listed in different categories like SC, ST and OBC. Karnataka state took steps to deal with the problem of criminal tribes during the year 1900. The first Criminal Tribes legislation was introduced in the then princely state of Mysore during the year 1916. The total strength of members of criminal tribes in Karnataka state during the year 1930 was 3,474 including 1,395 males, 1,370 females and 709 children. Branded as criminal tribes by the British rulers, members of the communities are treated as criminals. They are living in small groups in different parts of the state.
