Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
Section 145
Habitual dealing in slaves
Whoever habitually imports, exports, removes, buys, sells, traffics or deals in slaves, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term not exceeding ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Why this exists
This provision continues a law first written into the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (as Section 371), during a period when the British colonial government was formally abolishing slavery and the slave trade across its territories, including India, following the Slavery Abolition Act, 1833 and later international anti-slavery movements. The law targeted people who made slave trading a repeated business or way of life, not just a single unlawful act, treating habitual dealing as a more serious offence deserving harsher punishment. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 carries this provision forward largely unchanged, preserving India's long-standing legal rejection of slavery as an institution.
Common misconceptions
- Myth: This section applies to any single, one-time act connected to slavery.
Fact: The text specifically punishes 'habitual' dealing, meaning a repeated pattern of conduct, not necessarily an isolated incident (simplified). - Myth: This law is only a historical relic no longer relevant.
Fact: It remains part of active Indian criminal law under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and could apply to modern forms of exploitation resembling slave trading.