The Thuggee and Dacoity Suppression Acts were a series of legal acts passed from 1836 – 1848 in British India under East India Company rule. The acts outlawed the practice of thuggee, which was prevalent in North and Central India. It consisted of ritualized murder, mutilation and robbery. The act also outlawed dacoity, a form of banditry prevalent in the same region.
To know more about the legislation passed in British India, click on the linked article.
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List of Thuggee and Dacoity Suppression Acts
Over the course of twelve years, many acts to suppress the practice of thuggee and dacoity were passed with subsequent amendments made over the years. The list below gives, in brief, the details regarding the acts.
Thuggee and Dacoity Suppression Acts, 1836 – 1848
| Name of Act | Description | Date of Enactment | Presiding Governor-General |
| Act XXX | Provides for the trial and punishment of Thugs | November 14th, 1836 | Lord Auckland |
| Act XVIII | Provides for the trial of persons charged with Thuggee. | August 7th, 1837 | Lord Auckland |
| Act XIX | No person incompetent as a witness by reason of conviction for any offences | August 7th 1837 | Lord Auckland |
| Act XVIII, 1839 | Provides for a trial of persons accused of murder by Thuggee | July 15th, 1839 | Lord Auckland |
| Act XVIII | An Act for the better custody of persons convicted of Thuggee and Dacoity | September 9th, 1843 | Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough |
| Act XXIV | An Act for the better prevention of the crime of Dacoity | November 18th, 1843 | Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough |
| Act XIV | An Act for regulating the proceedings of the Sudder Courts of Ft. William, Ft. St. George, Bombay, and at Agra in regard to sentences of Transportation for Life. | July 6th, 1844 | Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough |
| Act V 1847 | An Act to facilitate the execution of the sentences of Courts established by the authority of the Governor-General in Council for the administration of Criminal Justice in States or Territories administered by Officers acting under the authority of the East India Company. | April 10th, 1847 | Henry Hardinge |
| Act X | An Act for amending Act XXX. of 1836 relating to the trial and punishment of Thugs. | June 19h, 1847 | Henry Hardinge |
| Act III | An Act for removing doubts as to the meaning of the words ” Thug” and “Thuggee” and the expression “Murder by Thuggee” when used in the Acts of the Council of India. | February 26th, 1848 | Lord Dalhousie |
| Act XI | An Act for the punishment of wandering Gangs of Thieves and Robbers. | May 20th, 1848 | Lord Dalhousie |
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Impact of the Thuggee and Dacoity Suppression Acts
With the passing of these legislative acts, the British authorities began systematically cracking down on thuggee and dacoity cults in areas under their control. Those members who were caught by the authorities turned informants in order to get a lenient sentence from the courts.Â
These informants proved to be crucial assets in the hunt for the thuggee cults. Hideouts and anyone found there were eliminated and the survivors were brought to trial. The sentences ranged from life imprisonment to death by hanging, depending on the severity of their crimes.
By the 1870s the Thug cult was essentially extinct, but the history of Thuggee led to the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA) of 1871. Although the CTA was repealed at Indian independence, tribes considered criminals still exist in India. The Thuggee and Dacoity Department remained in existence until 1904 when it was replaced by the Central Criminal Intelligence Department (CID)
Thuggee and Dacoity Suppression Acts, 1836 – 1848:- Download PDF Here
Related Links
| Regulating Act of 1773 | Government of India Act 1935 | Rowlatt Act |
| India Independence Act, 1947 | UPSC Notes | Indian Councils Act, 1892 |
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