THE YOUNG PERSONS ( HARMFUL PUBLI CATI ONS) ACT,

1956

ACT NO. 93 OF 1956

[ 28t h December , 1956. ]


An Act t o pr event t he di ssemi nat i on of cer t ai n publ i cat i ons har mf ul t o
young per sons.

BE i t enact ed by Par l i ament i n t he Sevent h Year of t he Republ i c
of I ndi a as f ol l ows: -



1.

Shor t t i t l e, ext ent and commencement .


1. ( 1) Shor t t i t l e, ext ent and commencement . Thi s Act may be
cal l ed t he Young Per sons ( Har mf ul Publ i cat i ons) Act , 1956.

( 2) I t ext ends t o t he whol e of I ndi a except t he St at e of J ammu
and Kashmi r .

( 3) I t shal l come i nt o f or ce on such dat e*1 as t he Cent r al
Gover nment may, by not i f i cat i on i n t he Of f i ci al Gazet t e, appoi nt .



2.

Def i ni t i ons.


2. Def i ni t i ons. I n t hi s Act , -

( a) " har mf ul publ i cat i on " means any book, magazi ne, pam-
phl et , l eaf l et , newspaper or ot her l i ke publ i cat i on whi ch
consi st s of st or i es t ol d wi t h t he ai d of pi ct ur es or wi t hout
t he ai d of pi ct ur es or whol l y i n pi ct ur es, bei ng st or i es
por t r ayi ng whol l y or mai nl y-

( i ) t he commi ssi on of of f ences; or

( i i ) act s of vi ol ence or cr uel t y ; or

( i i i ) i nci dent s of a r epul si ve or hor r i bl e nat ur e;

i n such a way t hat t he publ i cat i on as a whol e woul d t end t o
cor r upt a young per son i nt o whose hands i t mi ght f al l ,
whet her by i nci t i ng or encour agi ng hi mt o commi t of f ences or
act s of vi ol ence or cr uel t y or i n any ot her manner
what soever ;


( b) " St at e Gover nment " i n r el at i on t o a Uni on t er r i t or y,
means t he admi ni st r at or t her eof ;

( c) " young per son " means a per son under t he age of t went y
year s.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1st Febr uar y, 1957, see Gazet t e of I ndi a, 1957, Ext r aor di nar y, Pt . 11,
Sec. 3, p. 331.

703A

Ext ended t o t he St at e of Si kki m vi de S. O. 136 ( E) dat ed
28. 2. 1984.

703B
Ext ended t o and br ought i nt o f or ce i n Dadr a and Nagar Havel i
( w. e. f . 1. 7. 65) by Reg. 6 of 1963, s. 2 & sch. I .


703C
Ext ended t o t he Uni on t er r i t or y of Pondi cher r y by Act 26 of 1968,
S. 3 and Schedul e.



704





3.

Penal t y f or sal e, et c. , of har mf ul publ i cat i ons.



3. Penal t y f or sal e, et c. , of har mf ul publ i cat i ons. ( 1) I f a
per son-

( a) sel l s, l et s t o hi r e, di st r i but es, publ i cl y exhi bi t s or
i n any manner put s i nt o ci r cul at i on, any har mf ul publ i cat i on,
or

( b) f or pur poses of sal e, hi r e, di st r i but i on, publ i c
exhi bi t i on or ci r cul at i on, pr i nt s, makes or pr oduces or has
i n hi s possessi on any har mf ul publ i cat i on, or

( c) adver t i ses or makes known by any means what soever t hat
any har mf ul publ i cat i on can be pr ocur ed f r omor t hr ough any
per son,

he shal l be puni shabl e wi t h i mpr i sonment whi ch may ext end t o si x
mont hs, or wi t h f i ne, or wi t h bot h.

( 2) On a convi ct i on under t hi s sect i on, t he Cour t may or der t he
dest r uct i on of al l t he copi es of t he har mf ul publ i cat i on i n r espect of
whi ch t he convi ct i on was had and whi ch ar e i n t he cust ody of t he Cour t
or r emai n i n t he possessi on or power of t he per son convi ct ed.



4.

Power of Gover nment t o decl ar e har mf ul publ i cat i ons f or f ei t ed.


4. Power of Gover nment t o decl ar e har mf ul publ i cat i ons f or f ei -
t ed. ( 1) The St at e Gover nment may, i f i t i s of opi ni on af t er consul -
t at i on wi t h t he pr i nci pal l aw of f i cer of t he St at e, whet her cal l ed t he
Advocat e- Gener al or by any ot her name, t hat any publ i cat i on i s, a
har mf ul publ i cat i on, decl ar e, by or der not i f i ed i n t he Of f i ci al
Gazet t e, t hat ever y copy of such publ i cat i on shal l be f or f ei t ed t o t he
Gover nment and ever y such not i f i cat i on shal l st at e t he gr ound f or t he
or der .

( 2) Wi t hout pr ej udi ce t o t he pr ovi si ons cont ai ned i n sub- sect i on
( 1) of sect i on 6, wher e t her e i s an or der of f or f ei t ur e under sub-
sect i on ( 1) i n r espect of any publ i cat i on i t shal l be l awf ul f or any
pol i ce of f i cer t o sei ze t he same wher ever f ound i n t he t er r i t or i es t o
whi ch t hi s Act ext ends.



5.

Appeal t o Hi gh Cour t agai nst or der of f or f ei t ur e.


5. Appeal t o Hi gh Cour t agai nst or der of f or f ei t ur e. Any per son
aggr i eved by an or der of f or f ei t ur e passed by t he St at e Gover nment
under sect i on 4 may, wi t hi n si xt y days of t he dat e of such or der ,
appl y t o t he Hi gh Cour t t o set asi de such or der , and upon such
appl i cat i on t he Hi gh Cour t may pass such or der as i t deems f i t .


6.

Power t o sei ze and dest r oy har mf ul publ i cat i ons.


6. Power t o sei ze and dest r oy har mf ul publ i cat i ons. ( 1) Any
pol i ce of f i cer or any ot her of f i cer empower ed i n t hi s behal f by t he
St at e Gover nment may sei ze any har mf ul publ i cat i on.

( 2) Any Magi st r at e of t he f i r st cl ass may, by war r ant , aut hor i ze
any pol i ce of f i cer not bel ow t he r ank of sub- i nspect or t o ent er and
sear ch any pl ace wher e any st ock of har mf ul publ i cat i ons may be or may
be r easonabl y suspect ed t o be, and such pol i ce of f i cer may sei ze any
publ i cat i on f ound i n such pl ace i f i n hi s opi ni on i t i s a har mf ul
publ i cat i on.


705


( 3) Any publ i cat i on sei zed under sub- sect i on ( 1) shal l be pr o-
duced, as soon as may be, bef or e a Magi st r at e of t he f i r st cl ass, and
any publ i cat i on sei zed under sub- sect i on ( 2) shal l be pr oduced, as
soon as may be, bef or e t he Cour t whi ch i ssued t he war r ant .

( 4) I f i n t he opi ni on of t he Magi st r at e or Cour t such
publ i cat i on i s a har mf ul publ i cat i on, t he Magi st r at e or Cour t may
cause i t t o be dest r oyed, but i f i n t he opi ni on of t he Magi st r at e or
Cour t , such publ i cat i on i s not a har mf ul publ i cat i on, t he Magi st r at e
or Cour t shal l di spose of i t i n t he manner pr ovi ded i n sect i ons 523,
524 and 525 of t he Code of Cr i mi nal Pr ocedur e, 1898 ( 5 of 1898) .


7.

Of f ences under t hi s Act t o be cogni zabl e.


7. Of f ences under t hi s Act t o be cogni zabl e. Not wi t hst andi ng
anyt hi ng cont ai ned i n t he Code of Cr i mi nal Pr ocedur e, 1898 ( 5 of 1898) .
any of f ence puni shabl e under t hi s Act shal l be cogni zabl e.