292.—(1) Whoever —| (a) | sells, lets to hire, distributes, transmits by electronic means, publicly exhibits or in any manner puts into circulation, or for purposes of sale, hire, distribution, transmission, public exhibition or circulation, makes, produces, or has in his possession any obscene book, pamphlet, paper, drawing, painting, representation or figure, or any other obscene object whatsoever; | | (b) | imports, exports, transmits by electronic means or conveys any obscene object for any of the purposes aforesaid, or knowing or having reason to believe that such object will be sold, let to hire, distributed or publicly exhibited, or in any manner put into circulation; | | (c) | takes part in, or receives profits from, any business in the course of which he knows or has reason to believe that any such obscene objects are, for any of the purposes aforesaid, made, produced, transmitted by electronic means, purchased, kept, imported, exported, conveyed, publicly exhibited, or in any manner put into circulation; | | (d) | advertises, or makes known by any means whatsoever, that any person is engaged or is ready to engage in any act which is an offence under this section, or that any such obscene object can be procured from or through any person; or | | (e) | offers or attempts to do any act which is an offence under this section, |
| shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 3 months, or with fine, or with both. |
| (1A) A person who is guilty of an offence under subsection (1) in the case where the obscene object mentioned in that subsection depicts an image of a person who is or who appears to a reasonable observer to be or is implied to be below 16 years of age shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years, or with fine, or with both. [15/2019] |
| (2) For the purposes of this section, “object” includes data stored in a computer disc, or by other electronic means, that is capable of conversion to images, writing or any other form of representation. |
(3) For the purposes of this section and section 293, an object shall be deemed not to be obscene if the sale, letting to hire, distribution, exhibition, circulation, import, export or conveyance of, or any other dealing in, the object is authorised by or under any written law.| Exception.— This section does not extend to any book, pamphlet, writing, drawing or painting kept or used bona fide for religious purposes, or any representation sculptured, engraved, painted or otherwise represented on or in any temple, or on any car used for the conveyance of idols, or kept or used for any religious purpose. |
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