Article 23 — Prohibition of Traffic in Human Beings and Forced Labour

(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) 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.

Source: Constitution of India, as published by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

The prohibition of begar — the compulsory extraction of unpaid labour that landlords imposed on low-caste agricultural labourers — was a direct response to a practice widespread in pre-independence India. The Supreme Court has interpreted 'forced labour' broadly: in People's Union for Democratic Rights v. Union of India (1982), it held that payment below minimum wages constitutes forced labour under Article 23. Bonded labour — where workers are bound by debt — was made a specific offence under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976.

• Article 17
• Article 24
• Article 39

Last reviewed: 1 July 2026