Section 23 in The Tamil Nadu Prevention Of Begging Act, 1945
23. Medical examination and detention of lepers and lunatics.—
(1)After a person is received in a special home under the orders of a Magistrate or the Juvenile Court under this Act, the officer in charge of the special home shall cause him to be examined, as soon as may be, by such Medical Officer as the State Government may, by general or special order, direct.(2)The Medical Officer shall make his report to the officer in charge of the special home stating inter alia —(a)whether the person is a leper suffering from contagious leprosy or not;(b)from what, if any, communicable disease other than leprosy the person is suffering; (c) whether the person is an idiot or of unsound mind;(c)any other particulars which may be prescribed.(3)Where the medical report states that the beggar is a contagious leper or a lunatic, the officer in charge of the special home, shall forthwith forward the report to the Magistrate who or the Juvenile Court which, passed the order of detention. The Magistrate or the Juvenile Court shall thereupon examine the Medical Officer as a witness and shall reduce the examination to writing. If, after the examination and upon such further inquiry, if any, as he or it thinks fit, the Magistrate or the Juvenile Court is of opinion that the beggar is a contagious leper or a lunatic, he or it shall record a finding to that effect and shall direct that the detention already ordered shall be under gone by the beggar —(i)if a contagious leper, in a leper asylum appointed under Section 3 of the Lepers Act, 1898 (Central Act 3 of 1898) and notified to be a special home under clause (2) of Section 2;(ii)if a lunatic, in an asylum established or licensed under Section 84 of the Indian Lunacy Act , 1912 (Central Act 4 of 1912) and notified to be a special home under clause (2) of Section 2.(4)Notwithstanding anything in the Lepers Act, 1898 (Central Act 3 of 1898) or the Indian Lunacy Act , 1912 (Central Act 4 of 1912), if any leper asylum appointed under Section 3 of the Lepers Act, 1898 (Central Act 3 of 1898) or any asylum established or licensed under Section 84 of the Indian Lunacy Act , 1912 (Central Act 4 of 1912) is notified to be a special home under clause (2) of Section 2, the Superintendent of such leper asylum or the person in charge of such lunatic asylum, as the case may be, shall also have authority to detain persons sent thereto in accordance with a direction of the Magistrate of the Juvenile Court under Section 10-A or Section 12-A or under this Section, as the case may be.
