The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday ordered issue of notice to the State government and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on a PIL petition seeking direction to prevent people from deploying young children to sell products or beg in traffic junctions in the city.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Ashok S. Kinagi passed the order on the petition filed by the Letzkit Foundation, Bengaluru.
Pointing out out that law not only prohibits beggary but it prescribes penal action against those who force or use children for beggary, the petitioner pointed out that the State and its authorities have to prevent the practice of using children for begging or selling products at traffic junctions.
The petitioner also brought to the notice of the court that young children were found selling various products at several traffic junctions even when the city was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Admission to schools
Also, the petitioner has sought a direction to the government to ensure that children of daily wage workers are admitted to the school even in the middle of an academic year to ensure that they are not forced to sell products in traffic junctions or to beg.
The petitioner pointed out that many children of construction labourers though join nearby government schools leave midway as their parents shift to a faraway location within the city for new job during the middle of the year. Children of such labourers are compelled to sell products at traffic junctions, the petitioner claimed.
The government will have to evolve a method for admitting such children to another government school close to the present working place of their parents during the middle of the year, the petitioner stated.
