SC to states: Dignity, not charity, in beggars’ homes

The apex court said every individual admitted to a beggars’ home shall mandatorily undergo a medical screening. File pic/istock

A beggars' home maintained by the state is not a discretionary charity and its administration must reflect the values of constitutional morality, the Supreme Court said while issuing a slew of directions to ensure that dignified living conditions are maintained continuously at such centres.

A bench of Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan said all the states and Union Territories are required to institutionalise reforms in beggars' homes and analogous institutions under their control, so that the constitutional guarantee of life with dignity is meaningfully secured for this most vulnerable section of society. The top court said the failure to ensure humane conditions in such homes does not merely amount to maladministration; it constitutes a constitutional breach of the fundamental right to life with dignity.

"This judicial articulation leaves no doubt that the state's responsibility towards indigent people is affirmative and non-derogable. A beggar's home, maintained by the state, is thus a constitutional trust, not a discretionary charity. Its administration must reflect the values of constitutional morality - ensuring liberty, privacy, bodily autonomy, and dignified living conditions," the bench said.

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