Report of Medical Officer before committal

(1) The court which finds a person to be guilty of an offence of begging under section 4 or section 5, shall, before passing any sentence of his committal to a Certified Institution, send such person to the Medical Officer incharge of the local civil hospital or to the medical officer attached to the local Work House, if any, and call for a report about his age, physical capacity for ordinary manual labour and also whether he is suffering from any infectious or contagious disease. (2) If the medical officer certifies that the said person is not a child, is physically capable of ordinary manual labour and is not suffering from any infectious or contagious disease, the court shall pass a sentence for committal of such person to a Work House. (3) If the medical officer reports that the said person is a child or is physically incapable of ordinary manual labour but is not suffering from any infectious or contagious disease, the court shall pass a sentence for committal of such person to a Special Home : Provided that nothing in this sub-section shall apply to a child to whom sub-section (9) of section 4 applies. (4) If the medical officer reports that the said person is suffering from any infectious or contagious disease, the Court shall pass a sentence for committal of such person to a Certified Home, but if there is no such Certified Home for the reception of such persons, the Court may stop further inquiry and release him.