In the Indian context the term ‘De-notified tribes’ refers to:

Answer: (d) tribes which were earlier classified as criminal tribes

De-notified tribes are communities that the British labelled 'criminal tribes' under the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871. The Act was repealed in 1952 and they were de-notified.

• ✓ (d) They are the former 'criminal tribes' freed of that label after repeal.
• ✗ (b) Nomadic tribes are a separate category, though many DNTs are nomadic.
• ✗ (a) Aboriginal status is unrelated.
• ✗ (c) Shifting cultivators are unrelated.

Remember · De-notified = ex-'criminal tribes' of the 1871 Act, repealed 1952.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 8 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Ch 4 (practise this chapter)

Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 1996, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 1996: the answer shown is the one the sources above support. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). · Report an error