The Mumbai High Court in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed has said that beggars must also work and that the government can’t keep providing everything which will only increase the number of beggars in the country.
A man named Brijesh Arya had filed a PIL seeking an order from the Mumbai Municipal Corporation to ensure that homeless beggars in Mumbai have access to three meals a day, clean drinking water and hygienic public toilets. The bench comprising Chief Justice of Mumbai High Court Dipankar Dutta and Justice GS Kulkarni heard the case.
The Bombay Municipal Corporation said that all poor, simple homeless beggars in Mumbai are provided with food parcels with the help of voluntary organizations and women are provided with sanitary napkins. The argument of the corporation was accepted by the court.
The court said that there was no need of providing any further assistance than this adding that beggars must also work for the good of the country.
“They should also work for the country. Everyone is working. Everything cannot be provided free by the state. You are just increasing the population of this section of the society.” they court said adding that granting all the demands mentioned in the petition would only become an incentive to not work.
The court however directed the state government to consider if the public toilets can be made use of homeless persons free of charge.
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