Begging not an offence: Delhi High Court

Begging will not be an offence as the Delhi high court on Wednesday struck down the law which made it an offence. A bench comprising acting chief justice Gita Mittal and justice C Hari Shankar struck down the provisions of the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959, as unconstitutional, except those parts which criminalise “forced” begging. That would still be an offence. “How can begging be an offence when the state cannot provide food or jobs,” the bench had observed during the hearing on the legality of the Act which is in force in many states.