Thirty women and their children have moved the Bombay High Court against their wrongful detention in a beggars’ home after being picked up under the false pretext of enrolling them for Aadhaar.
They were picked up by the Nashik Police, and sentenced to detention at a certified institution in Chembur by an order passed by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nashik, on May 7 under the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1960.
The petition, filed by lawyer Devyani Kulkarni, said no inquiry was conducted into whether the women were beggars. The magistrate did not call for a report of the probation officer to verify the allegations that the women were begging, as per the Act. Those detained earn a meagre income from selling garlands and balloons, washing utensils and working as domestic help.
The petition said the beggars’ home does not have hygienic toilets and proper ventilation. Lack of bedding forces the inmates to sleep on the floor, and there is often a delay in providing medical treatment.
The plea seeks to quash the order of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, and a direction to the government to explain why no action has been taken on the recommendations of the Justice Gokhale Commission, which termed the Act outdated and unconstitutional in 1990. The matter will be heard on June 20.
