Part III — Fundamental Rights · Right against Exploitation

Article 23 — Prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labour

  1. (1)Traffic in human beings and begar and other similar forms of forced labour are prohibited and any contravention of this provision shall be an offence punishable in accordance with law.
  2. (2)Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from imposing compulsory service for public purposes, and in imposing such service the State shall not make any discrimination on grounds only of religion, race, caste or class or any of them.

From The Constitution of India. Transcribed from the official source, last verified 2026-07-08. Provided for reference — verify against the official publication before relying on it.