#THE INDECENT REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN (PROHIBITION) ACT, 1986 
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##ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS 
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###SECTIONS 

1. Short title, extent and commencement. 
2. Definitions. 
3. Prohibition of advertisements containing indecent representation of women. 
4. Prohibition of publication or sending by post of books, pamphlets, etc., containing indecent 
representation of women. 
5. Powers to enter and search. 
6. Penalty. 
7. Offences by companies 
8. Offences to be cognizable and bailable. 
9. Protection of action taken in good faith. 
10. Power to make rules.

 
 
#THE INDECENT REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN (PROHIBITION) ACT, 1986 

##ACT NO. 60 OF 1986 

[23rd December, 1986.] 

An Act to prohibit indecent representation of women through advertisements or in publications, 
writings,  paintings,  figures  or  in  any  other  manner  and  for  matters  connected  therewith  or 
incidental thereto.

BE it enacted by Parliament in the Thirty-seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:— 

1. **Short title, extent and commencement.**—(1) This Act may be called the Indecent Representation 
of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

(2) It extends to the whole of India.

(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the 
Official Gazette, appoint.

2. **Definitions.**—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

(a)  “advertisement”  includes  any  notice,  circular,  label,  wrapper  or  other  document  and  also 
includes any visible representation made by means of any light, sound, smoke or gas; 

(b) “distribution” includes distribution by way of samples whether free or otherwise; 

(c)  “indecent  representation  of  women”  means  the  depiction  in  any  manner  of  the  figure  of  a 
woman, her form or body or any part thereof in such a way as to have the effect of being indecent, or 
derogatory to, or denigrating, women, or is likely to deprave, corrupt or injure the public morality or 
morals; 

(d)  “label”  means  any  written,  marked,  stamped,  printed  or  graphic  matter,  affixed  to,  or 
appearing upon, any package; 

(e) “package” includes a box, carton, tin or other container; 

(f) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act. 

3. **Prohibition of advertisements containing indecent representation of women.**—No person shall 
publish,  or  cause  to  be  published,  or  arrange  or  take  part  in  the  publication  or  exhibition  of,  any 
advertisement which contains indecent representation of women in any form. 

4. **Prohibition of publication or sending by post of books, pamphlets, etc., containing indecent 
representation of women.**—No person shall produce or cause to be produced, sell, let to hire, distribute, 
circulate or send by post any book, pamphlet, paper, slide, film, writing, drawing, painting, photograph, 
representation or figure which contains indecent representation of women in any form:

Provided that nothing in this section shall apply to— 

(a) any book, pamphlet, paper, slide, film, writing, drawing, painting, photograph, representation 
or figure— 

	(i) the  publication  of  which  is  proved  to  be  justified  as  being  for  the  public  good  on  the 
ground  that  such  book,  pamphlet,  paper,  slide,  film,  writing,  drawing,  painting,  photograph, 
representation or figure is in the interest of science, literature, art, or learning or other objects of 
general concern; or 

	(ii) which is kept or used *bona fide* for religious purposes; 

(b) any representation sculptured, engraved, painted or otherwise represented on or in— 

	(i) any ancient monument within the meaning of the Ancient Monument and Archaeological 
Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (24 of 1958); or 

	(ii) any temple, or on any car used for the conveyance of idols, or kept or used for any
religious purpose; 

(c) any film in respect of which the provisions of Part II of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 (37 of 
1952), will be applicable. 

5. **Powers  to  enter  and  search.**—(1)  Subject  to  such  rules  as  may  be  prescribed,  any  Gazetted 
Officer authorised  by  the State  Government  may,  within the local limits of the  area for  which  he is  so 
authorised,— 

(a)  enter  and  search  at  all  reasonable  times,  with  such  assistance,  if  any,  as  he  considers 
necessary, any place in which he has reason to believe that an offence under this Act has been or is 
being committed; 

(b) seize any advertisement or any book, pamphlet, paper, slide film, writing, drawing, painting, 
photograph, representation or figure which he has reason to believe contravenes any of the provisions 
of this Act; 

(c)  examine  any  record,  register,  document  or  any  other  material  object  found  in  any  place 
mentioned in clause (a) and seize the same if he has reason to believe that it may furnish evidence of 
the commission of an offence punishable under this Act: 

Provided that no entry under this sub-section shall be made into a private dwelling house without a 
warrant: 

Provided further that the power of seizure under this sub-section may be exercised in respect of any 
document, article or thing which contains any such advertisement, including the contents, if any, of such 
document, article or thing, if the advertisement cannot be separated by reason of its being embossed or 
otherwise  from  such  document,  article  or  thing  without  affecting  the  integrity,  utility  or  saleable  value 
thereof. 

(2) The provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), shall, so far as may be, apply 
to any search or seizure under this Act as they apply to any search or seizure made under the authority of 
a warrant issued under section 94 of the said Code. 

(3) Where any person seizes anything under clause (b) or clause (c) of sub-section (1), he shall, as 
soon as may be, inform the nearest Magistrate and take his orders as to the custody thereof. 

6. **Penalty.**—Any person who contravenes the provisions of section 3 or section 4 shall be punishable 
on first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, and 
with fine which may extend two thousand rupees, and in the event of a second or subsequent conviction 
with imprisonment for a term of not less than six months but which may extend to five years and also 
with a fine not less than ten thousand rupees but which may extend to one lakh rupees. 

7. **Offences by companies.**—(1)  Where  an  offence  under  this  Act  has  been  committed  by  a 
company,  every  person,  who,  at  the  time  the  offence  was  committed,  was  in  charge  of,  and  was 
responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business of the company, as well as the company, shall 
be  deemed  to  be  guilty  of  the  offence  and  shall  be  liable  to  be  proceeded  against  and  punished 
accordingly: 

Provided  that  nothing  contained  in  this  sub-section  shall  render  any  such  person  liable  to  any 
punishment, if he proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge or that he had exercised 
all due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence. 

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), where any offence under this Act has been 
committed  by  a  company  and  it  is  proved  that  the  offence  has  been  committed  with  the  consent  or 
connivance of, or is attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other 
officer of the company, such director, manager, secretary or other officer shall be proceeded against and 
punished accordingly. 

*Explanation.*—For the purposes of this section,— 

(a) “company” means any body corporate and includes a firm or other association of individuals; 
and 

(b) “director”, in relation to a firm, means a partner in the firm.

8. **Offences to be cognizable and bailable.**—(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of 
Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), an offence punishable under this Act shall be bailable.

(2) An offence punishable under this Act shall be cognizable.

9. **Protection of action taken in good faith.**—No suit, prosecution or other legal proceeding shall lie 
against the Central Government or any State Government or any officer of the Central Government or any 
State Government for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done under this Act. 

10. **Power to make rules.**—(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, 
make rules to carry out the provisions of this Act. 

(2)  In  particular  and  without  prejudice  to  the  generality  of  the  foregoing  power,  such  rules  may 
provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:— 

	(a)  the  manner  in  which  the  seizure  of  advertisements  or  other  articles  shall  be  made,  and  the 
manner in which the seizure list shall be prepared and delivered to the person from whose custody 
any advertisement or other article has been seized; 

	(b) any other matter which is required to be, or may be, prescribed. 

(3) Every rule made under this Act, shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before  each 
House of Parliament, while it is in session for a total period of thirty days, which may be comprised in 
one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately 
following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification 
in the rule or both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only 
in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or 
annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.