law: Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 
  21. Protective homes 
  (1) The State Government may in its discretion establish 57[as
  
  many protective homes and corrective institutions under this Act as it thinks
  
  fit and such homes and institutions], when established, shall be maintained in
  
  such manner as may be prescribed.
  (2) No person or no authority other than the State Government
  
  shall, after the commencement of this Act, establish or maintain any 57[protective
  
  home or corrective institution] except under and in accordance with the
  
  conditions of a license issued under this section by the State Government.
  (3) The State Government may, on application made to it in this behalf
  
  by a person or authority issue to such person or authority a license in the
  
  prescribed form for establishing and maintaining or as the case may be, for
  
  maintaining a 57[protective home or corrective institution] and a
  
  license so issued may contain such conditions as the State Government may think
  
  fit to impose in accordance with the rules made under this Act :
  Provided  that any such condition may require that the
  
  management of the 57[protective home or corrective institution]
  
  shall, wherever practicable, be entrusted to women:
  Provided  further that a person or authority maintaining
  
  any protective home at the commencement of this Act shall be allowed a period
  
  of six months from such commencement to make an application for such license:
   58  [Provided also that a person or authority
  
  maintaining any corrective institution at the commencement of the Suppression
  
  of Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls (Amendment) Act, 1978 (46 of 1978) shall
  
  be allowed a period of six months from such commencement to make an application
  
  for such license.]
  (4) Before issuing a license the State Government may require
  
  such officer or authority as it may appoint for this purpose, to make a full
  
  and complete investigation in respect of the application received in this
  
  behalf and report to it the result of such investigation and in making any such
  
  investigation the officer or authority shall follow such procedure as may be
  
  prescribed.
  (5) A license, unless sooner revoked, shall remain in force for
  
  such period as may be specified in the license and may, on application made in
  
  this behalf at least thirty days before the date of its expiration, be renewed
  
  for a like period.
  (6) No license issued or renewed under this Act shall be
  
  transferable.
  (7) Where any person or authority to whom a license has been
  
  granted under this Act or any agent or servant of such person or authority
  
  commits a breach of any of the conditions thereof or any of the provisions of
  
  this Act or of any of the rules made under this Act, or where the State Government
  
  is not satisfied with the condition, management or superintendence of any 57[protective
  
  home or corrective institution], the State Government may, without prejudice to
  
  any other penalty which may have been incurred under this Act, for reasons to
  
  be recorded, revoke the license by order in writing- 
  Provided  that no such order shall be made until an
  
  opportunity is given to the holder of the license to show cause why the license
  
  shall not be revoked.
  (8) Where a license in respect of a 57[protective
  
  home or corrective institution] has been revoked under the foregoing
  
  sub-section such protective home shall cease to function from the date of such
  
  revocation.
  (9) Subject to any rules that may be made in this behalf, the
  
  State Government may also vary or amend any license issued or renewed under
  
  this Act.
   59  [(9A) The State Government or an authority authorized by
  
  it in this behalf may, subject to any rules that may be made in this behalf,
  
  transfer an inmate of a protective home to another protective home or to a
  
  corrective institution or an inmate of a corrective institution to another
  
  corrective institution or to a protective home, where such transfer is
  
  considered desirable having regard to the conduct of the person to be
  
  transferred, the kind of training to be imparted and other circumstances of the
  
  case:
  Provided  that- 
  (a) no 23[person] who is transferred under this
  
  sub-section shall be required to stay in the home or institution to which he is
  
  transferred for a period longer than he was required to stay in the home or
  
  institution from which he was transferred ;
  (b) reasons shall be recorded for every order of transfer under
  
  this sub-section.]
  (10) Whoever establishes or maintains a 60[protective
  
  home or corrective institution] except in accordance with the provisions of
  
  this section, shall be punishable in the case of a first offence with fine
  
  which may extend to one thousand rupees and in the case of second or subsequent
  
  offence with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine
  
  which may extend to two thousand rupees, or with both.