For their kids' sake, HC lets women beggars go

Moved by their children’s plight, the Delhi High Court has ordered release of five mothers serving one year detention at a welfare home for begging here after coming from their native place Bhilwara in Rajasthan.

“It is really unfortunate that the petitioners had to come to Delhi all the way from Rajasthan for the purposes of arranging food for self and their family members particularly children. They all were having small children in their laps and expressed their sincere desire to go back to their native villages immediately,” Justice M L Mehta said.

The court’s decision came after the women, serving one year detention at welfare home ‘Nirmal Chaya’ here and their family members said they would go back to Bhilwara and not come back to the national capital for begging.

Justice Mehta did not concur with the finding of a lower court that they were professional beggars and took note of the plea of the women that they were forced into it “due to the necessity of food for their children.”

“In such circumstances, I feel that instead of making their children further suffer, they can be released on their executing bonds of good behaviour without sureties on their undertaking not to involve in begging or to be seen begging in Delhi,” the court said.

Earlier, a mobile court had considered the confessions of the women that they were begging at Lajpat Nagar and sent them to the welfare home for serving one year detention under a provision of the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act.

A sessions court too had upheld the magistrate’s order. The High Court, however, decided to release them.

Court asks cops to file FIR

Irked over non-registration of an FIR for a year on a complaint of an elderly couple, a Delhi court has asked the city police chief to file a report giving details which barred an officer from registering the FIR.

Ordering registration of the FIR on the complaint of a 70-year-old man against a property dealer and others for cheating, the court took serious objection to a report of a police officer that said an FIR could not be lodged as an approval from DCP concerned was awaited.

“There exists no provision in the code of criminal procedure which mandates or even requires the approval of any officer or DCP before registration of an FIR,” said metropolitan magistrate Amitabh Rawat.

“If the cognisable offence is made out and the investigating officer is of the opinion that an FIR ought to be registered, police is bound to register  it,” added the magistrate.