Panaji: After two women, claiming to be the mothers of children rescued during an anti-begging drive appeared before the High Court of Bombay at Goa seeking access to the minors, the court directed that legal aid counsel be provided to assist them.
The matter arose during the hearing of the Child Begging PIL filed by petitioner-in-person Adv Moses Pinto, which has brought attention to issues related to child begging in Goa.
Taking note of their background and their inability to effectively present their case, the Division Bench requested the Member Secretary of the Goa State Legal Services Authority (GSLSA) to immediately appoint an advocate, preferably a woman lawyer from the GSLSA panel, to assist in ascertaining the present custody status of the children.
During the hearing, the two women told the court that their children had been placed in the custody of NGOs House of Shekinah and Victory House, while one child had been kept at Apna Ghar.
Legal aid counsel submitted that the women were seeking visitation rights and access to the children, who are currently housed in separate child care facilities in North Goa under the supervision of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and the Directorate of Women and Child Development.
The court was informed that although the women had produced identity documents claiming parentage, biological parentage has not yet been conclusively established. The state was represented by the Advocate General and an additional government advocate. The Chairperson of the CWC and departmental officials also placed records concerning the three rescued children before the court.
The proceedings further revealed that the children, rescued during an anti-begging drive in Mapusa on May 13, are believed to be from Osmanabad in Maharashtra. The CWC informed the court that repatriation is being considered through an escorted transfer from Goa to the CWC in Osmanabad, where the children may be placed in a child care institution under continued monitoring.
The High Court did not order any interim change in custody and directed that status quo be maintained, with the children continuing to remain under institutional care in Goa.
