History-sheeter

In Indian English, a history-sheeter (sometimes referred to as a rowdy-sheeter[1] ) is a person with a long criminal record.[2][3][4] Known as a career criminal outside of South Asia, the term is found in newspapers of South Asian countries such as India[5] and Pakistan.[6]

According to Anastasia Piliavsky, the concept of "history sheeter" has origins in the colonial era rule and its police surveillance codes.[7][8][9] The legal codes allowed preemptive penalties against those listed as a "history sheeter", and these codes were copied into the post-independent Indian Penal Code Sections 109 and 110. The Indian states such as Rajasthan list a person as a "history sheeter" when "his or her criminal record reaches or exceeds thirty offenses," states Piliavsky.[7]

Origins

The origin of the term history-sheeter can be traced back to British colonial rule in India. The conception of the classification of people as a history-sheeter can be traced back to their efforts to suppress the way in which the lifestyle of nomadic groups did not fit the traditional British idea of the organisation of society[10] especially with regard to problems the colonial rulers had with collecting taxes and administrating policing.[11] From the outset, there was a degree of profiling utilised when identifying who may be classified as a history-sheeter, the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 particularly showcases this concept.

See also

References
  1. "Definition of History-Sheeter by Cambridge Dictionary".
  2. "Definition of History-Sheeter by Oxford Dictionary". Lexico Dictionaries. Retrieved 2020-07-10. A person with a criminal record.
  3. Tom Dalzell; Terry Victor (2015). The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. Taylor & Francis. p. 9722. ISBN 978-1-317-37251-6.
  4. Christiane Dalton-Puffer; Nikolaus Ritt (2011). Words: Structure, Meaning, Function: A Festschrift for Dieter Kastovsky. Walter de Gruyter. p. 35. ISBN 978-3-11-080916-9.
  5. K. Balasankaran Nair (2004). Law of Contempt of Court in India. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. pp. 100 footnote 92, 103. ISBN 978-81-269-0359-7.
  6. World Englishes: Critical Concepts in Linguistics, Volume 2 by Kingsley Bolton, Braj B. Kachru, p. 247 gbook
  7. Anastasia Piliavsky (2013). David N. Gellner (ed.). Borderland Lives in Northern South Asia. Duke University Press. pp. 45 note 26. ISBN 978-0-8223-7730-6.
  8. All India Reporter. D.V. Chitaley. 1946. p. 147.
  9. Uttar Pradesh (India). Legislature. Legislative Council (1934). Proceedings: official report. Adhīkshaka. p. 318.
  10. Satish, Mrinal (2011). "Bad Characters, History Sheeters, Budding Goondas and Rowdies": Police Surveillance Files and Intelligence Databases in India". National Law School of India Review. 23: 137.
  11. Khanikar, Santana (2018). State, Violence, and Legitimacy in India. Oxford University Press India.
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