Begging not crime in Delhi: HC junks law that 'violates fundamental rights'

Begging in the national capital will no more be treated as an offence with the Delhi High Court on Thursday quashing the legal provisions that criminalises it, holding that people beg on the streets not because of their wish but as a "last resort" to meet their needs.

Criminalising begging violates the most fundamental rights of some of the most vulnerable people in our society. the court said, as it blamed the state for not being able to ensure even the bare essentials of the right to life to all its citizens.

The court further said criminalising begging was a wrong approach to deal with the underlying causes of the problem and it ignored the reality that people who beg were the poorest and marginalised in society.

Observing that begging is a symptom of a disease, a bench of acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said people beg on the streets not because of wish but due to needs and begging is their last resort to subsistence.

Philippines' top judge vows fight as Duterte, allies seek her ouster

The Philippine Supreme Court chief justice vowed to fight "bullying" and save judicial independence as President Rodrigo Duterte's congressional allies launched an impeachment process Thursday to remove her from office. Voting 38-2, the House of Representatives justice committee said there was "probable cause" to impeach Maria Lourdes Sereno, in a move critics allege is part of wider efforts by Duterte to destroy foes and usher in one-man rule.
A US-style impeachment trial in the Senate will follow if the House adopts the committee report, focusing on allegations Sereno failed to pay about two million pesos ($40,000) in taxes.
"All kinds of lies, threats, harassment and bullying have been thrown my way but I will not yield," Sereno, the country's first female chief justice, said at an International Women's Day event in Manila.

"I am fighting for our future as a freedom-loving nation," the 52-year-old said, framing the case against her as an issue of "judicial independence".