Indian Police Crack Down on Sex Toy Sales

NEW DELHI — A team of local policemen led a raid against “sex toy shop number 32” in New Delhi’s Palika Bazar after getting tipped off about its dealings. Reports estimate that 14 sex toys were recovered and brought to justice, so to speak.

Comical though it may seem, the sale, or even possession, of dildos, dolls, clamps or anything else that might qualify as a sex toy could spell out serious jail time for Indian citizens.

Section 292(1) of the Indian Penal Code states that those selling such goods can rack up two years in the slammer for the first offense and five for the second and beyond. And the reasoning? Sex toys, the law says, appeal “to the prurient interest” and are thus obscene.

Yet, as columnist Sandip Roy from FirstPost notes, just because an item is associated with sex and pleasure doesn’t make it ipso facto “prurient,” which connotes an excessive or morbid fascination with sex.

Echoing articles from The Times of India, Roy asserts that the Palika Bazar is notorious for selling adult products and that the practice is rampant.

He concludes that legislative repression of Indian sexuality is not only hypocritical (given reports of government corruption) but has had an impact on the cultural psyche as well: “The loud Indian sex-tourists in Uzbekistan and the arrest of the sex-toy sellers of Palika Bazar are two pieces of the same problem — our inability to understand sex as an act of pleasure.”

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Le Wand Dive Gets Wired.com Review

Le Wand Dive has been spotlighted by WIRED with a review by tech and lifestyle journalist Amanda Chatel.

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

Blush Introduces 'Splash' Vibe

Blush has debuted its new duck-themed Splash vibrator.

SVibe Debuts 2 New Vibrators

SVibe has introduced the new Snail GIZI Duo and Snail AXI Spot Wand.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

ProDx Health Introduces 'Power Femme' Test

ProDx Health has introduced its new Power Femme Home Collection Kit.

Orion Expands Cottelli 'Accessoires' Line

Orion Wholesale has introduced five new “It” pieces from its Cottelli Accessoires line.

ANME Wraps With Product Drops and Partnerships

ANME wrapped on Wednesday, the event’s third day, after delivering a mix of product launches, power meetings and networking — all while preserving the laid-back vibe that attendees say always makes ANME feel like a homecoming.

Playharda Wholesale, Secret Dome Ink U.K. Distro Deal

Playharda Wholesale and BDSM brand Secret Dome have signed a deal for UK distribution.

Hankey's Toys Releases 'Kitsune's Knot' Dildo

Mr. Hankey's Toys has introduced its new Kitsune’s Knot dildo.

Show More