Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 · Chapter V: Of Offences against Woman and Child · Of offences against child
Section 93: Exposure and abandonment of child under twelve years of age, by parent or person having care of it
In plain words
A parent or carer of a child under twelve years of age who leaves the child somewhere intending to abandon them completely faces up to seven years in prison, or a fine, or both.
- If the child dies as a result, the person can also be tried for murder or culpable homicide.
A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.
Official text
Whoever being the father or mother of a child under the age of twelve years, or having the care of such child, shall expose or leave such child in any place with the intention of wholly abandoning such child, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both.
Explanation.—This section is not intended to prevent the trial of the offender for murder or culpable homicide, as the case may be, if the child die in consequence of the exposure.
Corresponding sections were matched by comparing the wording of both official texts, and for the IPC and BNS, also against a published correspondence table. Wording, punishments and structure often changed, so read both sections before relying on the match.
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 25 August 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 93
No Supreme Court judgment in our database cites this section yet.