Understanding Conceptual and Administrative Boundaries of Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, 1976

The Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, 1976, sets the conceptual and administrative boundaries of bonded labour. The Paper looks into how these boundaries were defined, by examining the political economy of the international and the Indian definitions. The Indian definition of bonded labour is drawn from the international definitions of slavery and forced labour, as they evolved in the course of civil society and state interventions against these human rights abuses. While examining the international definitions, this Paper argues that the Atlantic slave trade, colonialism, and the Cold War were the three defining phases of history in the evolution of the concept. The ethical basis of the project against slavery and forced labour comes from the abolitionists. However, all abolitionists were not guided by ethical considerations alone; abolition served the political and economic compulsions of colonial and capitalistic exploitation. The Indian definition of bonded labour, a legislative expression of the constitutional provision against forced labour, was evolved during the Emergency years. Apoliticism and an overbearing administration left an indelible mark on the definition of bonded labour and the implementation procedures for its abolition. The characterisation of bonded labour as a feudal vestige further delimited the boundaries of bonded labour.