The Bombay High Court on Friday has remarked that it cannot blame only beggars for flouting COVID 19 safety norms when others were also not following social distancing norms.
The division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Madhav Jamdar made the observation while hearing a petition filed by Dhyandeshwar Darwatkar, a resident of Pune.
The petitioner had complained that beggars were not following COVID 19 norms and were roaming about the streets without wearing masks. This, he said, increased the risk of spread of the virus.
The petitioner in his prayer had urged the court to direct the State of Maharashtra to take appropriate steps to regulate begging on the streets.
The bench, however, said that at present the entire country was facing difficulty combating the pandemic and it was highly insensitive to only blame beggars.
The bench has directed the government of Maharashtra and the Pune Municipal Corporation to file an affidavit on the issue.
The matter has been posted for next hearing on August 14.
– India Legal Bureau