Merely because minor was found on street doesn’t mean she was begging: Court

Observing that merely because a child was found on the streets does not mean that she was begging, a magistrate’s court recently acquitted a man booked for pushing his minor sister into begging. The accused was booked under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of a Child) Act and Bombay Prevention of Begging Act.

The Gamdevi police had alleged that on July 30, 2019, the minor was found begging on the streets at the Sukhsagar junction. She was taken to the children’s home. The police probe found that the girl was 11 years old and lived on a footpath. The police claimed her brother had compelled her to beg and was dependent on it for his livelihood.

The court said the police had not been able to prove how it was concluded that the minor was begging. “The girl was taken from Sukhsagar junction, which is a public road, and witnesses were available. No statement of independent witness was recorded by the officer to show that the girl was begging,” the court said.

“Merely the girl was found on the street does not mean she was begging. The panchnama related to the girl shows that no amount was seized from her. The person or girl who was begging should have been caught with the coins or money… However, nothing was seized,” the court said.