Supreme Court denied request to Prohibit Begging amid COVID-19

beggars road car public black child

Aishwarya Rathore-

The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a request to prohibit begging in public places and streets due to the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that it was a function of poverty and a socio-economic issue.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah was considering a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Kush Kalra to restrict beggars, vagabonds, and homeless people from begging at traffic junctions, markets, and public places in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic across India and to rehabilitate them.

At the outset, the bench said that it cannot accept the prayer to stop begging.

The first prayer is to restrain people from being on the streets.

At that juncture, Senior Advocate Chinmoy Sharma, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the actual prayer of the petitioner was to rehabilitate the beggars and to ensure vaccination for them to protect them from the pandemic.

The bench agreed to issue notice on the second prayer in the petition seeking rehabilitation and vaccination for beggars.  However, the bench directed the petitioner to carry out amendments in the petition as the pleadings in the petition did not match the second prayer.

The bench issued notice to the Union of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi on the second prayer.

Also read: Bombay HC: Homeless, Beggars should work as everything cannot be given to them by State

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