Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Monday expressed serious concern over the continued prevalence of child begging in the state and sought an explanation on how Rs 7,093 crore collected as beggary cess over the past four years has been utilised.

A bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Poonacha passed the directions while hearing a petition filed by an NGO. The court observed that the available records raise significant questions about the utilisation of funds.

“Obviously you are keeping Rs 3,000 crore for four years and children are begging on the streets — then something is not right,” the bench remarked.

The court directed the state government and the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) to file a detailed report on the cess expenditure and the remaining funds within eight weeks. It also sought information on steps taken to recover pending amounts from local bodies.