Amendments make employing beggars a non-bailable offense

New penalties aim to discourage beggar mafia in Punjab

LAHORE:

The Punjab cabinet approved amendments in The Punjab Vagrancy Ordinance, 1958 and employing beggars has been made a non-bailable offence. According to the amendments, whoever employs a person for alms will be imprisoned for a term of three years and a fine of R100,000 up to Rs300,000 will be imposed.

A further imprisonment of six months will be added if the fine is not paid. Similarly, whoever employs more than one person or a child for alms will be imprisoned for three years up to five years and a fine of Rs300,000 up to Rs500,000 and further imprisonment of six months if the fine is not paid.

Whoever employs more than one child for alms will be imprisoned for five years up to seven years and a fine of Rs500,000 up to Rs700,000 and further imprisonment of one year if the fine is not paid.

The amendment is passed that whoever being an organiser causes incapacitation of a person or child being used for alms will be imprisoned for seven years up to 10 years and a fine of Rs1 million up to Rs2 million will be imposed and further imprisonment of two years will be added if the fine is not paid. If a person previously convicted of the offence under this Ordinance repeats the same offence, the accused shall be liable for double punishment of imprisonment and fine, which is provided for that offence under this Ordinance.

The spokesperson for the Punjab Home Department said that these measures are necessary to bring the professional beggars and their mafia chiefs to justice and increasing the punishments will discourage the beggar mafia.