The Assam Prevention of Begging Act, 1964

18 ALA -42
Sec ti on
14. \' isit ing Com mitte e.
1-'. App ointme nt of Chief Ins­
pector. Dep ut y Ch ief Ins­
pect o r a nd P r o ba t i on
O fficer s.
16. Search i n Rec eiving Centres
and cer tified instituti ons .
17. Ma nagem e nt a nd d isciplin e.
18. D isci plin ar y im pri sonme nt.
19. Tran sfer fr om one Rece iv­
ing Ce nt re o r ce rtified insti­
tuti o n to a noth er.
20. Release o n lice nce .
21. Re voc ation o f li cenc e.
22. Un cond iti on al rele ase.
C H APTE R IV
:\lisce lla ncous
23. Pr oc edure on orde r o f de ­
tenti on or sen tenc e of im­
pri sonme nt.
24. Medi cal examin ati on and
detenti on of l epr osy pat ient s
a nd l un ati cs.
25. Beggar to leave institution
on ly on discha rg e or p er­
mission .
26. Pr ocedur e 10 dea l w it h
abs co ndi ng begga rs .
27. T ra nsfe r be tween ce rti fied
institutions and in stitutions
of lik e natu re in d iffere nt
pa rts o f Indi a.
28. Otfences to be cog niza ble
a nd n on -bailabl e.
2 ~ . Per son s to b e de emed publi c
serva nts.
329
Prea mb le
Sect ion
ASSAM PREVENTION OF BEGGING ACT, 1964*
(Ass am Act XVII of 1964)
COl'OTENTS
CH A PTE R 1
p reflmin ar y
I. Short titl e, e xte nt and cu m­
menceme nt.
2. Defi nitions.
CII A PT ER II
Procedur e for de ulln g with beggar s
and begg ar otrcndc rs
3. Po wer s uf co urt.
4. Pow er to require p er so n
fou nd beg ging to ap pear
before co urt.
5. S umm ary inqui ry in respe c t
of per son s fou nd b egg ing
and their detention .
6. Penall y fo r begging a f t e r
detenti on as beg gar.
7. Offences to be tried sum­
maril y.
8. Con tri but ion o f p a rent s.
9. Court ma y o rde r det e ntion
of p er son s wholly d e pend ent
o n begga r.
10. p ower o f St ate G over nme nt
to o rd er furthe r dete nt io n of
inc urably he lple ss beggar s.
11. Pen alt y f or emp loying u r
ca using p ersons to beg o r
using t hem f o r p urp oses o f
begging .
C HA P l"ER III
Inst itut ions
12. Pro vi sion o f R c c e i v i ng
Cent res .
13. Pro visi o n or cc rtifi ed in s ti­
tutio ns.
- - - -'* Publis hed in th e Assam G aze ll e, Extra ord in ary. dated th e 11 th
Augu st, IlJ&4.
[ Pre amb leN ORTH-E ASTERN R ~ G I O N L OCAL ACTS & R U L ~ S330
32. Power to ma ke rule s.
33. Rem oval o f difficu ltie s.
30. Bond s to be taken unde r
Act V of 1898.
31. Appe als.
[ Receil'ed 111(' asse nt 0/ tile President 011 t h« h i Augu st, 1964J
An Ac t to pr uvirlc for the preven ti on of b c g~i n ~ in th e S ta te of
Assam and cer ta in matt ers co nne cted there with
Pr ea mble . Wher eas it is expedie nt t o I'rovido for th e preve ntion o f
beggi ng i n t he State of Assam for dete ntio n, tra ining and e mploym ent
of begga rs and their dep enda nts in ce rtain instit ut ions for the custod y,
t rial a nd pun ish men t of begga r offe nde rs ;
It is herebv e nac te d in t he Fifteenth Year of the Republi c o f In dia
as foll ows: .
,
CO;\l I\1ENTS
Preamb le. Thi s Ac t was enac ted to p rov ide fo r pr ev e ntion o f
begging and certain matters connec ted the rewith . Despite t he problem s
of bcgging in epidemi c form, thi s Act is not used in tha t i nten sity . T he
Child re n's Act , 1960 (Centr al A ct No . LX o f 1960) provi des f or the ca re,
pro tecti on, mainte nance , we lfare , tra ining. ed ucati on a nd rehabili tatio n
of neg lec ted or delinquent childre n an d f or th e trial o f d eli nquen t
childr en in the U nio n ter rit orie s. The Assam Child ren's Act, 1970 has
similarly been enac ted with the same ob jects an d aims as that of the
co rr esponding Central Act. The Assam C hildrc n's A ct . 1970 dea ls wit h
cert ai n provisions as co ntained in the A ssam Preven tio n of Begging A ct.
1964, s uch as the pr ovis ions relati ng to beggi ng. Sa y for exampl e the
provis ions of S. II of the Begging Act a re in confo rm ity in its Objects
with S. 42 of t he Assam Children's Act , 1970. But ho weve r t he Begging
Act is a gene ral Act and the Chi ldren' s Act is confine d t o child re n only
[the w ord " child " being defined in S . 2 ( d) o f the Act], a nd t o th at
extent on ly as provid ed unde r S. 60 of th e Childr en' s Act , 1970, the Beg­
ging Act shall sta nd repea led . T he Assam !Jorst a l Institu tion Act, 1968
was enacted to pro vide for the detenti on an d trai ning of adolesce nt
offende rs therein and ma tter s c onnected therewit h. Th e re are other
Cent ral A ct s like the Refor ma tory Sch ool Act, 1897, the Wom en' s a nd
Child ren 's Instituti on ( Licensi ng) A ct, 1956, Suppre ssion o f Immo ral
Traffic in Wo me n and G irl s Act, 1956, the Orph an ages a nd oth er Ch arit­
able Homes (Su per vision and Cont ro l) Ac t, 19 60. But a ll suc h Ce n tra l
Act s eithe r stand on different foot ing o r h ave co mplete ly been cov er ed
by the A ssam Chi ldren's Act , 1970.
CHA PT ER I
Preliminary
I. Short tit le, e xtent a nd commence ment. ( I) Thi s Act ma y be
call ed the A ssam Pr evention o f Begging ACI, 1964.
(2) It exten d s to th e ~hole of the State of Assam.
(3) It shall co me int o force in an y area of the State , Oil suc h d ate as
the St at e Governm en t may , by notifi cati on in th e o fficia l Ga zette
ap po int in t hat be hal f f or that area . '
..~ .
S. 2 ] ASSAM PReV ENTION OF BeGGING ACT, 1964 331
2. Definition s. In thi s Act, unl ess there is a nything repugnan t in
the suhject or c on text -
(i) " begging" m eans-s-
(a) soliciting or recei ving a lms in a public place by aoy
per son includin g childr en ;
(h) ente ring on any pri vat e premi ses for the purp ose o f sol i­
c iting o r recei vin g al ms ; .
(c) e xpo sing o r e xhib iting w ith the object of obta ining or
extortin g al ms, any so re, wou vd. i ni urv . deformity or
disease o f a hu man be ing;
(d) a llowing ones elf t o b e used a s a n e xhibit for th e purp ose
of soli citing o r receivin g alm s;
but does n ot includ e solicit ing o r recei ving money or food (cooked
or un cooked ), g rai n, c 'ot hing , gift or any other thing of value f or
a purp ose a utho rised by any law o r autho rised in the ma nner
pre scrih ed by the Distr ic t Magistr ate or b y the St ate Govern­
ment :
Pr ovided tha t th e State Government may, by genera l or specia l
orde r, direct t hat " begging" shall n ot include soliciting a lms
in or abo ut any t empl e o r m osque or any ot her pl ace under
such terms and con ditio ns and o n su ch oc casio n a s may b e
specified in t he o rde r;
(ii) "certified institu tion" mea ns any instituti on which th e Stat e
Gove rnment prov ides a nd m ainta ins for t he d et en tion ,
training and empl oyment of be ggars and th eir dependa nts,
an d includes an inst itut ion certified to be such und er S. 13 :
(iii) "Chief Inspect or " mea ns the per son app ointed to be th e
Chief Inspector of certifi ed in stitution under sub-So (I ) of
S. 15 ;
(iv) " child" mean s a b oy o r girl who has n ot att ained the age
of sixtee n yea rs;
(v) "Cou rt" means a C ourt of M agistr ate of a ny cl ass, o r a ny
other court exercising criminal jurisdiction in the area in
which the Act is in force ;
(vi) "Children 's Court" means a co urt co nstit ute d f or the pur­
pose of exe rcising t he powe rs and disc ha rgi ng the duties
conferred o r imp osed o n such c ourt i n r elation to children
who are either delinque nt, e xpl oited, victimised, neglected,
destit ute or orphans and /o r b eggars o r vag ra nts ;
(vii) " pre scr ihed" mean s prescribed by rul es made unde r this
Ac t ;
(viii) " Proba tion Officer" me ans all officer appo inted as a Pr oba­
tion Officer under this Act or und er th e Probation of Offen­
de rs Act, 1958 (Act 20 of 1958) ;
332 NORHI-EAsleRN ReGION L OCAL ACTS & RlJL~S [S.3
--
(ix) " Children's Home" means an in stitu tion establi shed for the
purp ose of recepti on and training of childr en who a re e ither
expl oited, v ictimised, neglected, de stitute or orpha ns a nd/o r
hegga rs or vagra nts;
(x) "public place" means any h ighway, publ ic park o r g arden ,
a ny rail way or hu s sta tion, a ny ra ilway train o r other vehi cle
ca rr ying p assengers, a ny public brid ge, road, lane. foo tway,
squar e, cou rt, alley, or p assage, w hether a t ho ro ughfare or
not , and includes a ny open space t o which for the time being
the p ubli c have or are pe rmitted to have a n a ccess, whether
on p ayment or oth erwis e ;
(xi) " Receivin g Centre" mea ns an in stitu tion for the rece pt ion
and tem pora ry dete ntio n of begg a rs pr ovided by th e State
Governm ent , or cert ifi ed to be s uch under S . 12 ;
(xii) " Superin tendent " mea ns a Superint end en t of a receiving
centre or a certified ins titu tion, as the c ase may be.
CHA PTER II
Proc ednr e for dea ling with b eggar s a nd b eggar o ffenders
3. Power of court s. The pow er s conferr ed on c our ts by thi s Act
shall b e exerci sed only b y the High Cou rt, a Court of Session, a Dist rict
Magistr at e, a Magistrate o f th e first cla ss, a Childr en's Court, or any
other co urt ex ercising crimi na l j urisdiction in the area , and may be
exe rcised by such cou rt s whethe r th e case co mes before them originally
or on appeal or r evision.
4. Power to r equire perso n found hegging to a ppea r h efor e court .
( I) An y police officer, or other p er son autho rised in t his behalf in
accorda nce wi th r ules made by the Stat e Govern ment, may a rrest w ith ­
out warr a nt an y per son wh o is found begging ;
Provided tha t no person entering on a ny pr iva te pre mises for the
purp ose o f solicit ing or r ecei ving a lms shall be so a rre sted or shall be
liable to a ny pr oceedings u nde r thi s Act, except upon a compla int by
th e occ upier of the pre mises.
(2) Such police office r or othe r perso n shall t ake or send the pers on
so a r rested t o a court.
(3) The provi sions of S. 6 1 of the Co de of Crimin al Pr oced ure, 1 898
(Act V of 1898), shall app ly t o ev ery a rrest under this sectio n, and the
officer-in-c ha rge of the p olice statio n sha ll ca use the a rreste d p erson to
be kep t in the pr escri bed ma nne r u ntil he ca n b e brought before a
COUTt .
S. Summary iuquiry in r espect of persons found begg ing and th eir
detention. (I ) Where a pe rso n who i s brought b efore the c ourt und er
the l ast preceding se ctio n is not proved to have previou sly been det ain­
ed in a certi fi ed i nstitu tion UJider the p rov isions of this Act , the c ourt
sha ll ma ke a summa ry inqui ry as regards the alleg ati on that he w as
foun d begging.
The pr ovisions o f S. 202 of the Code of Cr imin al Pr ocedure 1898
(Act V of 1898) shall, as far as p rac ticab le, be followed for making such
inquir y.
S. 5] A S SA~ I P REVENTI ON Of D~ Gli l!' G ACT, 1964 333
(2) If t he inqu iry referr ed to in sub-So ( I) ca nnot be co mplete d
fort hwith, the c o urt m ay adjo urn it from time to time an d order the
person to be rema nde d to such p lace and c ustody as may be co nve nie nt.
(3) If on maki ng the inq uiry referred to in sub -So(1) , the court is
not sat isfied that the pers on was foun d be gging, it shalt orde r that
such per son be rel eased fo rthwit h.
(4) If o n m ak ing the inq uiry referr ed to i n sub-So ( I), the c ou rt is
sa tisfied that such pers on was foun d b egging, it shall rec ord a findi ng
that the person is a beggar .
(5) Th e co urt shall orde r t he per son fou nd to be a beggar under the
last pr eceding s ub-sect ion t o be detained in a certified insti tution for a
pcriod of n ot less than six mo nths, b ut not more than one and a hal f
yea rs:
Provided t hat , i f th e cou rt is satisfied fr om the circu mstances of the
case that the pers on found to be a begga r as aforesai d is not likel y to
beg again, it may, after due admoni tion, release t he begga r on a b ond
for the beggar' s abstaining from begging a nd be ing of goo d behav iour,
being ex ecuted with or wi thou t sureties as the court may require by the
beggar or an y o the r perso n whom the co urt co nsiders suitabl e.
(6) In pa ssing any orde r under the pr ovisions o f t his Act, the cou rt
shall have regard to the followi og co nside ratio ns, th at is to s ay-
(a) the age and cha rac ter of the b eggar,
(b) the c ircu .nsta nces an d co nditio ns in which begg ar was living,
(c) reports made by tbe Pr obation Officer, and
(d) such othe r matte rs as may, in the opinion of the co urt,
re quire to be t aken int o c onsidera tion in the inte rest of the:
begga r.
(7) T he r eport of the Pr obati on Officer or a ny othe r repo rt co nsider­
ed by th e co urt un der the s ub-section imm ediately prece di ng, sha ll b e
treated as confidential :
Pr ovided t ha t if such report relate s to t he cha racte r, health or co n­
duc t o f the begga r, or t he circum stan ces a nd c onditions in whic h t he
beggar is liv ing, t he co urt m ay, if it th inks e xpedi en t, c omm unica te th e
subs tance thereof to the begga r or (in case of depend ant s) to the guard ­
ian co ncerned, and may give th e begga r or the gu ardian, as the case
may be, an opportun ity of prod ucing evidenc e wh ich may be relevant to
the matters stat ed in the report.
(8) A co py of the o rder m ade u nde r sub-So(5) s ha ll be sent f orth­
with t o the Chi ef Inspect or.
(9) N otw ith standing an ything in this se ction, when the person fo und
to be a begg ar as afo resa id is a child, being a child who is not und er the
age of five year s, the Cou rt shall hold an enquiry and if satisfied that
such person -
334 N ORTH- EA STeR N R eGI ON L OCAL A CTS & R ut. es [S.6
(a) is found without having any home or set tled place of abode
or means o f subsist ence or has a pare nt o r gua rdian who by
reason of cri mi na lo r d run ken habit, or immo ra l o r dep raved
life is unfit to exerci se or does not exercise prope r care and
cont rol over th e c hild; o r
(b) is destit ute a nd b ot h his parent s o r his survivi ng pa rent. or
in the case of an illegitimate ch ild . his mother, a re o r is
unde rgoing imprisonment;
shall declare the pe rson to h e a beggar and order him to be detained in
a Child ren's Home, o r such othe r instituti on as the State Governm ent
may sp ecify un til s uc h t ime as he attains the age of sixteen yea rs.
For th e purp ose of asce rtaining the age of the person , the co urt
may, if necessar y, cause th e beggar to be examined by a Medical Officer .
6. Penall y for begging afte r d elenti on as heggar . (1) Wh oev er
having be en prev iously detained in a ce rtified instituti on under this Act
is found beggin g sha ll, on conviction, he punished as hereina fter i n thi s
sec tio n provided.
(2) Wh en a per son is co nvicted for the fi rst t ime under sub -S, (I ) th e
court shall orde r him to he detained in a certifie d institution f or a
peri od o r not less than one year and not more th an one a nd a half
years .
(3) When a pers on is convicted for the seco nd o r subseq uen t tim e
unde r sub-So (I) , the co urt shall o rder him t o he deta ined f o r a per iod
of three years in a certified institution, and may c onve rt any p eriod o f
suc h dete nti on ( not ex ceeding one yea r) into a se nte nce of impri so nment
exte ndin g to a lik e p eriod .
7. Offences to be tri ed summartly. All o ffences unde r th is Act
except th ose u nder S . II sha ll be tried in a summa ry w ay.
8, Cont rib utio n of parent s, (I) The cou rt, whic h ma kes an order
for the detention of any person in a certified institution unde r S. 3 o r
S, 6, may ma ke an order on the parent or other person liabl e t o
maintain bim to contribute to his maintenance, if able to do so, in th e
ma n ner prescribed .
(2) Before making any such ' order the co urt shall inquire into th e
circumstances of the parent or other person liable to maintain him, and
shall record evidence, if any, in the presence of the parent or such othe r
person, as the case may be.
(3) Any order made under this section may , on an applicatio n made
by the party liable or otherwise, be varied by the court.
(4) Any order made under this section may be enfo rced in the sam e
manner as an order under. S. 48&. of the Code of Criminal Proced ure,
1898 (Act V of 189g).
9. Court mal order det entio n of per sons wholl y depend ent o n
beggar . ( I) W hen the court has ordered the detention of a per son in a
S. I I ) ASSAM PREVENTION OF B EGGING ACT, 1964 335
ce rtifie d institution unde r S . 5 or 6 i t may , after ma king such inq uiry
as it think s fit, ord er any perso n who is wholly depe ndent on such
per son to be det a ined in a certified in stituti on for a like peri od:
Provided that before such o rde r is made such de pendent person
sball be given an oppo rtunity of sho wing cause why it should not be
matic o
(2) Wh ere a dependent per son is a child, the court shall order tha t
the pe rson be d eta ined in a C hildren's H ome or such othe r institut ion
as the State Go vernment ma y s pecify :
Provided that where the depende nt p e rson is a beggar's ow n chi ld,
bein g a child wh o is under the age o f five yea rs, an d t he begga r is an
able bodied mother , not being a co nta gious leper or a lu natic , the child
ma y be ord ered to be deta ined in a ce rtified inst itut io n withou t being
separated from the mother as regards the pl ace of detention un til it
att ain s th e age of five yea rs an d t her eaft er th e c hild m ay be de tai ne d in
a Child ren' s Home or suc h other in stitu tio n as the St ate Go vern ment
ma y s pe ci fy for th e remai ning peri od o f det ention of its mot her .
(3) Fo r the purp ose of this sec tio n the court may if nece ssary ca use
the de pend ent pe rson to be arre st ed a nd hr ought befo re itse lf and cause
to be e xamined by a Medical Officer. The p rovision s o f S. 61 of the
Cod e o f C ri mina l Pr ocedure , 1898 (Ac t V of 1898) shall apply to eve ry
arr est un der t hi s s ub-sec tio n, an d th e Office r-in -charge of the Police
Sta tio n sha ll cause the a rr es ted p ers on to be kept in the p rescribed
ma nn er unt il he can be hr ought before the court.
to. Pow er oC S ta te Gov er nmen t 10 ord er fur ther det enti on of incur­
ab l)"he lpless b e g ~ ar s . When any per so n who is de tained in a certifie d
institu tion under S . 5 or S. 6 o r S. 9 i s cons ide red, whether on applica­
tion made by him to the State G over nment o r other wise. by the Sta te
Gove rnmen t. t o be blind . a cri pple, o r ott crwise incurabl y helple ss. the
St a te G ov ern ment may orde r tha t h e shall , after the expiry of the
peri od of h is det enti on , be furth er d eta ined indefin itely in a c erti fied
instit utio n:
Provided that the Sta te Gove rnmen t may release any such inmate,
if an y per son whom the Slate Gove r nment cons iders suitable, executes
a bond wit h o r wi thout sure ties as the State G ove rnmen t may requi re,
making h imsel f respo nsib le for the h ou sing and ma inte na nce of suc h
inma te, a nd f or t he purp ose o f begg ing.
11. Pe nalty fo r employi ng or ca using perso ns to beg or usi ng them
for purposes of begg ing . Wh oe ver empl oys or caus es any pe rson to
soli cit or rec ei ve al ms , or wh oe ver ha ving the cu stod y, cha rge o r ca re
of a child, conn ives at o r encour ages the empl oyment or the caus ing of
a ch ild t o so lici t or rece ive alms o r wh oeve r uses a nother per so n as a n
exhibit f o r the p ur pose o f beggi ng , shall on c o nviction, be pu nishe d
wi th impri onmc nt for a term which may e xt end to one and a h alf yea rs
bu t w hich sha ll n ot b e less th an six m onths.
Provide d th at a fema le sha Ji he s ea rc hed only by a fem ale , and with
d ue rega rd to decency .
i
IS. 11
CIIA PTER III
N OkTlI -EA SHRN ReGIO N L OCA1- A CTS & Ruw s336
16. Se arch in Recei ving Ce ntres and ce rtified ins ti tutions. ( I)
The Superi nte ndent o f a Receiv ing Cen tre or a ce r tified in sti tuti on may
order t hat a ny pe rso n r eceived in the Recei ving Centre o r ce rt ified
instit u tio n sha ll be s ea rched, th at he sha ll b e clea nsed , tha t h is p er sonal
effects shall be insp ec ted, and tha t any m on ey o r valua bles fou nd w ith
or o n th e person s hall be kept in the cu stody of such Sup criut cn dcnt,
a nd thaI any effect s othe r th an mo ney or valuab les so found shall be
disposed of in the prescribed manner. Where a n order of de tention is
passed by the court against any such p ers on, the S up erin tendent may
order th at a ny money o r valua bles f ound with or on the pers on sh .1 / be
d isposed o f in t he pr escri bed manner:
•(2) W he n the c o urt p asses a n o rde r of d isch arge, his mon ey and
val uable s s hal l b e returned to h im, an d if his clo thina has been dest rov -
ed , he sh all he provided with fr esh clothing. - .
An v s uch certified instituti on may include provision for the te ach ­
ing of' agric ult u ral , indu str ial a nd o the r p ur sui ts, and for the general
educati on and medic al care of thc inmates .
(2) Every Receiving Cen tr e o r certifi ed instit ut io n shall, at least
once in ever y six months , h e inspec ted by the C hief Inspect o r o r the
Deputy Chief Inspecto r,
Instlturi ons
12. Provision of Uec eil'inJ: Ce ntres . T h e S ta le G o vern lllent may
provide and maintain one or mo re R ecei ving Cen tres .11 such place or
place s as it think s fit, and ma y ccrtif yany insti tut io n to be Receiving
Centre for the purposes of thi s Act.
14. Vis iti ng Cn mmittee . For every Recei ving Cent re and every
ce rtified in stituti on , the State Go vernment sha Jl appoint a Vi siting
Committee in such manne r as may be pr escribed .
13 Pr ovision of certifi ed instituti ons . The S tate Go ve rnme n t may
provide and maint ain o ne o r more certifi e d instit uti o ns at s uc h place
or places a t it thinks fit , and may c ertify any instu ut ion to be a cer ­
tified inst ituti on for thc purp oses o f thi s Act.
15. App ointm ent of Chief Insp ector , Depu ty C hie f In spector and
Pr obat ion O fficers, ( I) F or carryi ng o ut the purpose s o f this Act, the
Stat e G overn me nt may a ppo int a Chie f In spe ct or of ce rtified instit u ­
tion s, a Deput y Chief Inspe cto r o f certified instituti on s a nd such
numb er of Pr obat ion Officer s as it thinks fi t t o assis t the Chief Inspect or
and every per son so a ppo inted t o assist t he Ch ief Inspect o r shall have
such of thc po wers and perf orm such of the dutie s of the Chi ef In spec tor
as t he Stat e Gover nm e nt dire c ts, but sha Jl act under the dire cti on o f the
Chi ef Insp ector.
17. Managem ent and di scipline . Person s reman ded to, o r detai ned
in Receiving Centres and certified inst itu tions unde r t his Act shall h e
subj ect to s uch rule s of man agement and discipline including the
imp osition of manual or othe r work a nd the awarding of puni shme nt
for bre ach o f any such rul es as may , from time to time, be pre scribed.
18. Disciplinar y imprisonmen t (I) Without prejudice to any
disciplin ary action th at may be t aken udder the sect ion immediate ly
pre cedin g, the C hie f I nspect or , the D eputy Ch ief I nspector or the
Super intendent may r ep ort to the c ourt the case of any person detained
in a ce rt ified in stitur ion who hab itu ally a nd willfully disobeys or
neglect s to compl y w ith any rule referr ed to in tha t sectio n ; and the
court may t here upo n, if satis fi ed th at the per son has wilfull y disobeyed
or n eglected t o com ply with a ny such rule . conver t th e balan ce o f the
period o f hi s dete ntion in a c e rtified ins titut ion or part there of into a
term of im priso nmen t.
(2) The sen tence o f imp risonme nt ord ered as aforesaid s hall be
exe cut ed i n t he sa me ma nne r as a se ntence p assed unde r S. 6.
J9. T ransfe r from o ne Rece ivin g Centre or certifi ed institu tion t o
anoth er. ( I) Su bject to the condi tion s pre scribed the Chief Inspe ctor
may di rect any pe rson detained in a R eceivi ng Centre or certified
in stitution to he transferred therefrom to an other Rec eiving Centre o r
certified i nstituti on in the St ate:
Provided that the t otal p eri od of detent ion of such person shall in
no cas e be i ncrease d by such tr ansfer.
(2) In directing such transf er t he Chief Inspector shall have r egard
to the me dical certifica te and the dir ecti ons, if an y, made by the State
Government or co urt und er S. 24 .
20. Release o n l icence . ( I) Subject to such c onditions as are pre s­
cribed-
(a) the Chief Inspe ctor or t he Superintendent of the certified
inst itu tion may at any time grant permi ssion to a person
det ained in a certified instit utio n t o a bsent him self for short
period s ; a nd
(b) the Chief Insp ector may a t a ny time relea se s uch pe rson
cond ition ally and issue h im a licen ce the refor.
(2) Any su ch licence sha ll b e in fo rce until the expiry of t he te rm
for which the person was o rdered to b e detained i n a c er tified institu ­
tion , unless soo ner revoked .
(3) Th e period du ring which such perso n is absent from certifie d
instit ut io n by permi ssion o r by licence as afore said shall, f or the pur ­
pose of co mputi ng h is term o f det entio n in a c ertified in stituti on be
deeme d to he p art of h is detent ion .
21. -Revocat ion of lice nce. ( I) Subje ct to s uch condit ion s as a rc
pre scr ibed t he Chief In spect or may at any time re voke a licence iss ued
under S. 20, a nd ther eup on the released person s hall be det ained in a
certified institu tion unt il t he expir y of the te rm f or w hic h he h ad been
or dered t o be det ained.
18 ALA--4 3
•f
S. 21 ] ASSAM PREV ENTION OF BE GGI NG ACT, 1964 337
,
338 NO RTJI- EASTERN R EGION L OCAL A CTS & R ULES [S. 22
(2) Fo r the purp ose o f this sectio n the C hicf Inspect or may, if
nece ssa ry. cau se the rele ase d pcr~on to he arre sted and sent to the
nea rest Recei vin g Centre together ,..it h a co py o f the o rde r of dete nt io n,
an d thereup on the provisions o f sub-So( I ) of S. 23 shall, as far as may
he, a pply .
22. Unconditional r cl ca vc. At any tim e after the ex piratio n of
thre e months from the comm en cem en t o f the relea se on licence o f any
per so n und er S. 20. ' he Chi ef In spect or may, if he is s atisfied that ther e
is a probahil ity tha t such pe rson will abstai n from begg ing . rec om me nd
to the S tate G overn ment his un condit ion al relea se . T he S ta te Gov ern ­
men t may on suc h recommendati on rel eas e such pc so n unc o nd ition all y,
and thereupo n the ter m for which su ch pers on ha s been orde red to be
detai ned in a certified insti tution sha ll he d eem ed to have expired .
C H A P TE R IV
l\ lisc ellau cou s
23. Procedure 0 11 orde r of dct cnriun or se ntence of imprisonme nt.
( I) Subject to the pr ovisions o f sub -So (2 ), when a pnso n has been
o rde red to be deta ined in a cert ified instituti on under S. 5 o r S . 6 o r
S. 9, the court which o rde red th e de tenti on s ha ll fort hwith forwa rd him
to the nearest Rec eiv ing Cen tre with a cop y o f t he o rde r of detentio n.
The perso n s hall there upo n he h anded over into the cus to dy of the
Super inten dent o f t he Receiving Ce ntre and sha ll be detained in the
Receiving Cent re until h e is sent th erefrom to a ccrtilicd institution.
(2) When an y such per son has a lso bee n sentenced 10 im pris onm en t,
the court passing the se ntenc e o f i mp risonme nt shall for thw ith forw a rd
a warra nt to a jail in which he is to b e co ntincd a nd shall forward him
to such jail with warra nt t oget her with a cop y o f t he o rder o f de ten tio n.
Arter the se nte nce o f imp rison-nc nt is fully execu ted , the office r execu t­
ing it shall, if detent ion in a certified inst ituti on for any pe rio d r emain s
to be und ergone by such person , forwa rd him forthwith tog ethe r with
the c opy o f the orde r of det enti on t.) the ne ar est Re ceiving Cent re , and
the reup on the pr ovisi ons ofs ub-S. ( I ) shall, as far as may be, a pp ly.
(3) In comp utin g the peri od fo r which a p erso n is o rdered to be
detai ned in a certified instit utio n, t here s hal l he included the p eri od for
which h e is detai ned in a Receiv ing Centr e under this sect ion.
24 . l\lrdi ca l ex amina tio n and det cnr lon of lepr osy pati ents and
lunat ics. (I ) Whe re i t appea rs t o the State G overnment that an y begga r
de taine d in a certified instituti on under anv o rde r o f a cou rt is o f
uns ound mind o r suffers from an y co mmun ica ble di sease s li ke leprosy,
tube rculosis, venereal disease etc . the State Governme nt ma y. by an
orde r setti ng forth the grou nds of h elief that th e begga r i s of u nso und
mind o r suffers fro m lepr osy, tuberculosis, venereal disease, etc.. o rder
his remova l to a Mental Hosp ital or a Leper Asy lum or ot he r place o f
safe cust od y ther e to be kept and treated as the St ate G ove rnmen t
dir ects dur ing the r emainder of th e term for which he has been orde red
to be d etained o r if, o n the ex piration of that te rm it is nece ssa ry fo r t he
safety of the be ggar o r of othe rs that he sh ould be furth er det ained
under med ic al c are o r treatm ent, then until he is di sc harged a cco rdi ng
to law.
(2) Where it a ppea rs to thc Sta te G ov er nm ent th at the begga r h as
ceased to be o f u nsoun d m ind , o r i s c u red of lepr osy, tu berc ulosis,
veneral di seases erc. , the St are Govc rnm cnt sha ll by a n orde r dire ct
the per son hav ing charge of th e beggar , if still liable to bc kcpt in
custody, send him t o the ce rtified institution from which he was remov ­
ed or t o a ny other inst itution as the State Governm ent may deci de ; or
if th e beggar i s 11 0 longer liable to be kept in custody orde r him to be
discharged . •
(3) Subj ect to thc p rov isio ns of sub-S. (2) thc provisions o f S. 31 of
th e India n Luna cy A CI, 191 2 ( Act IV of 191 2) o r of S. 14 o f t hc Lepers
Act, 1898 (A ct III o f 1 898), shall a pply to ever y beggar confined in a
Ment al H ospit al o r L e pcr Asylu m under sub- S. ( I) afte r thc expirati on
of the peri od for which he was orde red t o be de tai ne d : a nd the time
durin g w hich a hcggar is confine d i n a M ental H ospit al o r L ep er Asylum
undcr that sub-sec tio n sha ll b e recko ncd as part o f thc pe riod for which
he may have bcc n o rdc rc d by the court to b e d etain ed ;
Provided th at where the rem oval of a beggar d ue t o un soundn ess of
mind o r lepr os y is i mmc diatc ly nec essar y, it sha ll be o pcn to the
a utho ri ties of t hc instit ut ion in which the begga r is de tain ed to apply to
a court havin g j urisdi ctio n und cr t he In dian Lunacy Act, 19J2 (A ct IV
o f 19 12), o r the Leper s Act , 1898 ( Ac t III of 1898), a s the ca se may be,
for a n immedi ate o rde r o f com mitta l to a Mental Hospita l or a Le per
A sylum until suc h tim e as thc o rd ers of th e State Government can be
obt a ine d in the matter .
S. 27J A SSAM P kEVE NTIO N OF DLGG I NG ACT, 1964 339
/
25. Regg ar to leave lnv t itut lo n only on disc harge or permissi on.
N o per son who is a dmitt ed under the prov ision s o f thi s Act to anv
institution shall le ave it without a n order of di scharge or without the
written permission o f the Sup erintendent of the institution .
26. Proc edure to dea l with ahsco nding b eg gars. Whoeve r, in con ­
travention of the provisions o f S . 25,. escapes fr om an institution to
which he ha s been co mmitt ed unde r the p rovisio ns of this Ac t, or fa ils
t o return the ret o after the exp iry of the period of absenc e pe rmitted
under sub- So (I) of S. 20 sha ll, on a rep o rt from the Super in tendent of
the Instituti on , b e a r reste d b y a ny p olice o fficer without warr ant and
sent ba ck to the Rece iving Centre o r certified in stituti on, as the case
may b e.
27. Transfe rs betw een cer ti fied instituti ons and institu tions of lik e
nalur e in differ ent parts of Ind ia . ( I ) T he State G overnment ma y d irect
any person detained in a certified i nstitution to be tran sfer red th er e­
fr om to any institutio n of a like natu re i n a ny o the r p art o f India in
re spe ct o f wh ich provisi on s simila r t o t hat in the St at e o f A ssam is made
by th e Sta te Gove rn me nt o f th a t part undcr an y law in for ce th erein:
Provided that no per son sha ll be tra sferred un der thi s s ectio n to
a ny other Stat e wit ho ut t he consen t o f the G ov er nme nt o f t hat o the r
State .
2) Th e State Gover nment may, in co nsu lta tio n with th e Superin­
tend ent of a ny cer tified inst itution , co nse nt t o the tr ansfer .to that
institution of any p erson i n respect of whom an order of det ention has
340 NORTH -EASTERN R EGION LOCA L ACTS & RU LES [S.2 8
been made by a compe tent au thority in any othe r pa rt of Indi a o f the
nature of a n order under this Act d irec ti ng h im to be detained in a
certified institution or insti tutio n of a li ke nature and up on s uch
transfer th e pro visions of t his Ac t sha ll apply to s uch perso n.
28. Offences to b e cogoizable and n on-bailabl e. Tne offences und er
Ss. 6 and I I o f this Act s ha ll be cog nizab le and no n-bailab le.
29. P ersons to b e deemed public serv ant s. All persons e mpo wered
to pe rform any functio n by this Act shall be deemed to be public
servants within the mean ing of S. 21 of the India n Penal Code.
30. Bonds to be tak en und er Act V of 1898. The provisions o f
Chapter XLII of the Code of Crimina l Procedu re, 1898 (Ac t V of 1898),
shall, as far as may be, a pp ly to bonds taken un der t his A ct.
31. Appeals. For the purposes of appea l and rev isio n under the
Code of Criminal Procedu re, 1898 (Ac t V of 1898), an or der of d eten­
tion under this Act (incl uding an order of dete ntion under S. 5), sha ll
be deemed to be a sentence of imprisonment for the sam e p eri od.
32. Power to mak e rul es. ( I) The State Gove rnme nt m ay, by
notifica ti m in the official Gazelle, and subject to the conditi on o f pre­
vious publication, make rules for ca rryi ng ou t the pur poses o f this Act .
(2) In particular and without prejudice to the genera lity of the fore­
going powers such rules may provide for all o r any of th e foll owing
matters, namely: .
(a) the manner of authorising a purp ose u nder sub -S, (I) o f S. 2 ;
(b) the manner of keeping persons arres ted und er sub-So (3) of
S. 4 or S. 9 ;
(c) the manner of making summary inqui ry u nder s ub- So ( I) of
S. 5;
(d) the manner in which contribution for the mai ntena nce of a
person detained in certified institution may be o rdered to be
paid under sub-S. ( I) of S. 8 ;
(e) the manner of appointment of a Visiting Commi tte e under
S. 14 ;
(f) the manner in which the effects and the mon ey an d valua ble
referred to in S . 16 shall be disposed of ;
(g) the management and discipline of per sons de tai ned in -a
Receiving Centre or certified institution incl udi ng -the
imposition of manual or other work and the awa rding of
puni shment for breach of any r ule made under this claus e;
(h) the conditions subject to which the Chief Ins pecto r m ay
direct transfer unde r S. 19 ;
(i) the conditions subject to which a person may be relea sed o n
licence under S. 20 ;
(j) the conditions SUbject to which 'a licence may be revoked
und er S. 21 ;
,
S. 33] A SSAM PR EVENTI ON OF B EGGIN G A CT, 1964 341
(k) the manner of medi cal exami nation of beggar s;
(I) a ny other m att er whic h is required to be o r ma y be prescrib­
ed.
(3) Ever y rule made u nder this sectio n sh all be l aid , a s soo n as ma y
be a ft er it is ma d e, be fo re th e A ssam Legislati ve Assembl y while it is in
session for a total peri od of four teen da ys which may be comprised in
one session or in tw o s uccessive s essions , and if. before the expi ry o f
the s ession in wh ich it i s so laid or th e sess io ns imm ediately follow­
ing the Assam Legisla tive Assembl y a gree in making an y modificati on
in the rule or the Assam Legisla tive Assembl y agree that the rule should
not be ma de, the rule shall the reafter have effect only in such modified
form or be of n o effect , as th e cas e ma y be; so however , that any such
modificat ion o r a nnulme nt sh all be without prejudice to the validity of
any th ing pr eviou sly done und er t ha t rule .
33. Removal of dillicullics . If an y difficulty arises in giving effect
to any of t he p rov isio ns of thi s Act, the State Governm en t may, by
ord er publi shed in the official G azett e, make such provi sion o r g ive such
direc tion as appears to i t to he necessa ry f or rem ov ing th e difficult y.

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