The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976

Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 Alongwith The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Rules, 1976

This 2025 edition of The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 (Act 19 of 1976) reproduces—word for word—India’s landmark legislation that outlaws every form of debt-bondage, peonage, and forced labour. The volume also contains the complete Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Rules, 1976, ensuring you have the full regulatory framework in one place.

Short, practice-oriented comments appear after pivotal provisions—highlighting definitions of “bonded debt,” district-level vigilance machinery, and the powers of magistrates—while preserving full Bare-Act integrity for examinations and courtroom citation.

Core statutory coverage

• Immediate abolition of all bonded-labour agreements, obligations, and associated debts
• Extinguishment of liability—all bonded debts deemed fully discharged without further payment
• Freedom & restoration—automatic release of bonded labourers, return of property or wages withheld, and protection from eviction
• District Vigilance Committees—constitution, functions, and monitoring duties under the Rules, 1976
• Offences & penalties—imprisonment and fines for compelling, advancing, or recovering bonded labour or debt
• Cognisance & summary trial provisions empowering executive magistrates for speedy relief
• Rehabilitation measures—state obligations (via scheme guidelines) for land allocation, financial assistance, and education of liberated labourers

This edition is particularly suited for

• AIBE candidates and law students studying labour-rights and human-trafficking statutes
• District magistrates, labour inspectors, and vigilance-committee members enforcing anti-bondage mandates
• NGOs, social-workers, and legal-aid clinics assisting rescued bonded labourers with compensation and rehabilitation
• Academicians, policy analysts, and researchers examining modern-slavery eradication and rural-credit reforms

Presented verbatim yet enriched with concise explanatory notes, this Bare Act guarantees clarity, authenticity, and instant practical insight—indispensable for statutory compliance, legal practice, and academic mastery.