Won’t order removal of beggars, says Supreme Court

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 27

Refusing to take an “elitist view”, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said it won’t order removal of beggars from the streets as it’s a “socio-economic issue”.

“As the Supreme Court, we would not want to take an elitist view that no beggars should be there on the streets,” said a Bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud.

“This is a socio-economic problem of poverty. The idea is to rehabilitate them, give them and their children education… such people have no choice and nobody wants to beg,” it said. While asking the Centre and Delhi Government to respond to a plea seeking vaccination and rehabilitation of beggars and vagabonds, the top court noted a large number of people, including children, were compelled to beg due to lack of education and employment.

The Bench told the petitioner that it would not consider the prayer for a direction to the authorities to restrain beggars from begging on traffic junctions, markets and public places to avoid spread of virus in all states and UTs across India.

It issued notices to the Centre and Delhi Government with regard to the prayer for a direction to the authorities for rehabilitation of beggars and to ensure that food, shelter and basic medical amenities including vaccination were provided to them. It asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to assist it in the matter and posted the matter for August 10.