HC seeks response from Centre, Delhi government on leprosy patient’s plea

The court’s order came while hearing the plea filed by Kumar, who was convicted of begging on October 12, 2017.

The Delhi high court Wednesday sought the response of the Centre and the Delhi government on a plea by a leprosy patient, who said he has been languishing on the road after being released from the correctional home for leprosy beggars, after begging was decriminalised by the Delhi high court last year.

The complainant, a leprosy patient, alleged that he and the other inmates of a correctional home for leprosy beggars, had to face the brunt of winter as they are back on the streets begging for a living after the Delhi HC decriminalised begging last year. (Reuters / Photo used for representational purpose)

Justice Vibhu Bakhru issued notices to the Centre and the Delhi government on the plea by Rajeev Kumar, one of the 40 patients earlier lodged at the Home for Leprosy and TB Affected Patients (HLTB), Tahirpur, Shahdara. He has alleged that they were forced to live on the streets after being released from HTLB.

It is pertinent to mention that of the 11 institutions, only two institutions — HTLB in Shahdara (with a capacity of 100) and Home for Leprosy Affected Beggars (also in Tahirpur Shahdara with a capacity of 200) are used as incarceration centres/jails for convicted beggars afflicted with leprosy.

The court’s order came while hearing the plea filed by Kumar, who was convicted of begging on October 12, 2017. He alleged that he and the other inmates had to face the brunt of winter as they are back on the streets begging for a living.

Justice Bakhru also asked the counsel for the Delhi government to take instructions on whether HLTB, the correctional homes, could be given as an interim place for these former inmates.

The petition, filed through advocates Manisha Bhandari and Omkar Shrivastava, contended that most of the beggars, who were previously patients of leprosy, have a distinct case as compared to those beggars who have other diseases as there is no stigma attached to those diseases.

“These people who do not have any place to fall back on are back on the roads and have to resort to begging as they do not have a family to bank upon and they are also not taken in by normal shelter homes because of their disease,” the plea read.

The petition also stated that a representation was given to the HTLB authorities; however, no action was taken.

The matter has been now listed to January 22 for further hearing