Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 373
repealedBuying minor for purposes of prostitution, etc.
Whoever buys, hires or otherwise obtains possession of any person under the age of eighteen years with intent that such person shall at any age be employed or used for the purpose of prostitution or illicit intercourse with any person or for any unlawful and immoral purpose, or knowing it to be likely that such person will at any age be employed or used for any such purpose, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Why this exists
This section is the mirror image of section 372, punishing the buyer or acquirer in the exploitative transaction rather than the seller, ensuring that both sides of the exchange, whoever supplies and whoever receives, are held criminally accountable for treating a minor as a commodity for future sexual or other unlawful exploitation. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 continues to criminalize buying a minor for such purposes.
How courts read it
As with section 372, courts have held the offence complete at the moment of purchase or acquisition with the requisite intent or knowledge, regardless of whether exploitation occurs immediately or is planned for a later time when the minor is older.