Report No. 146

2.3. Adoption Act.-

A provision occurring in the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 also may be referred to, at this stage, as a matter of interest. Section 17 of that Act prohibits the charging of consideration for giving a child in adoption under the Act1. It is obvious that the section is confined to cases where the sale of the child takes place in connection with, or coupled with, adoption. It will have no utility and cannot be pressed into service, where the malpractice in question has no connection with adoption. A transaction having no connection with adoption sale for Rs. 12,000 reportedly went unpunished2.

1. See para. 3.11, infra.

2. 'The Tribune,' 23 December 1992, p. 3.