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Orphanages and other Charitable Homes (Supervision and Control) Act 1960 govern the running of homes for needy women and children. Under Sec 13, no homes can be run without certificate or recognition granted under this Act. The Act provides for minimum standards of service and for education/training to the inmates. The relevance of service depends on the quality of the boards of control.
Protection of Civil Rights Act 1955 prohibits the preaching and practice of untouchability. Anyone, preventing on the grounds of untouchability any person from entering a place of public worship, shop, restaurant or place of public, entertainment, watering place, public conveyance, hospital etc.; refusing to sell goods or render services or boycotts such persons can be punishable with imprisonment up to 6 months and/or fine up to Rs. 500/-.
Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1986 (the amended version of the Suppression of Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls Act 1986) Here a girl is defined as one below 21 years of age. Prostitution is not banned, what is banned is commercializing it. Penalties exist for keeping a brothel (Sec 3), living on the earnings of a prostitute (Sec 4) procuring or inducing a woman for prostitution (Sec 5) any prostitution in public places, any soliciting in public places and custodial seduction (Sec 7). According to this Act, any person who keeps or manages a brothel shall be punishable with punishment for 1-5 years and also with a fine of Rs. 2000/- (Sec 3). Any adult who lives on the earnings of the prostitution shall be punishable with imprisonment for 2 years or with fine of Rs. 1000/- or both (Sec 4); and any person who procures, induces or takes a person to carry on prostitution shall be punishable on conviction with rigorous imprisonment for 3-7 years and also with fine of Rs. 2000/- and if the offence is committed against the will of the victims the punishment of imprisonment will be for 7-14 years (Sec 5).
The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989 provides for stiffer punishment for atrocities committed against SCs and STs. Atrocities defined under Sec 2 include making them eat or drink something that is foul or inedible, throwing excreta or filth in their compound, stripping them or parading them in public places, forcibly taking away their land and cultivating it illegally, transferring their land or evicting them, stopping them from voting, sexually exploiting SC/ST women, making their water non potable, forcing them to leave their village/residence, denying them customary rites of passage etc. Under Sec 3 punishment for minor offences which would attract 10 years imprisonment under IPC are punished with life imprisonment with fine. Sec 4 provides for punishment with imprisonment from 6 months to a year to a public servant who is not a SC or a ST who willfully neglects his duties under this Act.
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