Even those who give alms will have to testify in court if a beggar is caught

Mumbai, April 30 – Under the Maharashtra Prevention of Begging Act, 1959, begging is considered a criminal offense. As per this law, beggars are detained and sent to rehabilitation homes for correction. Previously, after a formal court inquiry, beggars would be admitted to such rehabilitation centers.

However, from now on, it won’t be enough for the police to simply state that a person is a beggar. To verify whether the detained individual is truly begging, both the person who gave alms and the one who witnessed the act of begging will be required to appear in court and testify. A recent order to this effect was issued by the Kurla Magistrate First Class Court.

In every district, a court at the district magistrate level has been designated for hearings related to beggars. In Mumbai and the surrounding areas, hearings for apprehended beggars are conducted before the First Class Judicial Magistrate at the Kurla Court. As a result of this court order, the police will also be required to ensure that not only the beggars but also those who give alms or are seen begging are summoned to court to provide testimony.

Action against beggars is carried out as per court orders!

Under the Maharashtra Prevention of Begging Act, 1959, police teams from various departments are actively deployed to apprehend beggars. Once beggars are caught, they are first presented in court. The court then verifies whether the individual is genuinely a beggar and considers whether the person will resume begging if released. Based on this verification, the court decides whether to release the person or send them to a beggar rehabilitation center.

Beggar-catching drives have slowed down

There are a total of 14 beggar rehabilitation homes in Maharashtra. In Mumbai, there are separate homes for male and female beggars at Chembur Naka. Police conduct drives at regular intervals to catch beggars and present them in court. However, since the court now requires witnesses to confirm whether a person is genuinely a beggar, these drives have slowed down in Mumbai.

Currently, there are 27 women in the women’s rehabilitation home and 42 men in the men’s home in Chembur. Typically, the women’s facility used to house up to 80 beggars, and the men’s facility up to 200. But due to the court’s requirement for witnesses, the pace of police operations to catch beggars has significantly decreased.