law: Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act, 1976 
  6. LIABILITY TO REPAY BONDED DEBT TO STAND
  
  EXTINGUISHED. – 
  (1) On the
  
  commencement of this Act, every obligation of a bonded laborer to repay any
  
  bonded debt, or such part of any bonded debt unsatisfied immediately before
  
  such commencement, shall be deemed to have been extinguished.
  (2) After the
  
  commencement of this Act, no suit or other proceedings shall lie in any civil
  
  or before any other authority for the recovery of any bonded debt or any part
  
  thereof.
  (3) Every decree or order for the recovery of
  
  bonded debt, passed before the commencement of this Act and not fully satisfied
  
  before such commencement, shall be deemed, on such commencement, to have been
  
  fully satisfied.
  (4) Every attachment
  
  made before the commencement of this Act, for the recovery of any bonded debt,
  
  shall, on such commencement, stand vacated; and, where, in pursuance of such
  
  attachment, any movable property of the bonded laborer was seized and removed from
  
  his custody and kept in the custody of any court or other authority pending
  
  sale thereof, such movable property shall be restored, as soon as may be
  
  practicable after such commencement, to the possession of the bonded
  
  laborer.
  (5) Where, before the commencement of this
  
  Act, possession of any property belonging to a bonded laborer or a member of
  
  his family or other dependent was forcibly taken over by any creditor for the
  
  recovery of any bonded debt, such property shall be restored, as soon as may be
  
  practicable after such commencement, to the possession of the person from whom
  
  it was seized.
  (6) If restoration of the possession of any
  
  property referred to in sub-section (4) or sub-section (5) is not made within
  
  thirty days from the commencement of this Act, the aggrieved person may, within
  
  such time as may be prescribed, apply to the prescribed authority for the
  
  restoration of the possession of such property and the prescribed authority
  
  may, after giving the creditor a reasonable opportunity of being heard, direct
  
  the creditor to restore to the applicant the possession of the concerned
  
  property within such time as may be specified in the order.
  (7) An order made by any prescribed authority,
  
  under sub-section (6), shall be deemed to be an order made by a civil court and
  
  may be executed by the court of the lowest pecuniary jurisdiction within the
  
  local of whose jurisdiction the creditor voluntarily resides or carries on
  
  business or personally works for gain.
  (8) For the avoidance of doubts, it is hereby
  
  declared, that where any attached property was sold before the commencement of
  
  this Act, in execution of a decree or order for the recovery of a bonded debt,
  
  such sale shall not be affected by any provision of this Act.
  
  Provided that the bonded laborer, or an agent authorized by him in this
  
  behalf, may, at any time within five years from such commencement, apply to
  
  have the sale set aside on his depositing in court, for payment to the
  
  decree-holder, the amount specified in the proclamation of sale, for the
  
  recovery of which the sale was ordered, less any amount, as well as  mesne profits, which may, since the date of such
  
  proclamation of sale, have been received by the decree-holder.
  (9) Where any suit or proceeding, for the enforcement
  
  of any obligation under the bonded labor system, including a suit or proceeding
  
  for the recovery of any advance made to a bonded laborer, is pending at the
  
  commencement of this Act, such suit or other proceeding shall, on such
  
  commencement stand dismissed.
  (10) On the commencement of this Act, every
  
  bonded laborer who has been detained in civil prison, whether before or after
  
  judgment, shall be released from detention forthwith.