Overview

• A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan declared state‑run beggars’ homes a constitutional trust that must uphold dignity, privacy, bodily autonomy and humane living conditions.
• All facilities must implement 24‑hour admission screening by medical officers, monthly health check‑ups and disease surveillance systems with protocols for communicable and waterborne illnesses.
• States and UTs must enforce potable water, functional toilets and pest control standards, cap occupancy at sanctioned capacity and conduct independent infrastructure audits at least every two years.
• Each home must appoint a qualified dietician, follow standardised dietary protocols, expand vocational training with outside partnerships and provide quarterly legal‑aid visits for inmates.
• Children found begging are to be referred to child welfare institutions, separate facilities are required where women or children are housed, monitoring committees and digital inmate databases are mandated, and compensation with departmental or criminal action is required where deaths stem from negligence.