Delhi HC issues notice to AAP government on enforcement of mental healthcare law
1 min read 01 Jul 2019, 05:16 PM ISTThe case will be next heard on 11 SeptemberA division bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar sought responses from the AAP government and Delhi Police within four weeks
PremiumNew Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the police on a plea seeking enforcement of provisions of Mental Health Care Act, 2017, with immediate effect.
A division bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar sought responses from the AAP government and Delhi Police within four weeks.
The case will be next heard on 11 September.
In his plea, advocate and social activist Amit Sahni sought directions to the Delhi government to constitute state mental health authority and district mental health review boards. Sahni also sought directions to Delhi Police to sensitize officers to ensure that provisions of Act are adhered to in letter and spirit.
"Most people who experience mental health problems recover fully, or are able to live with and manage them, especially if they get appropriate treatment. Due to social stigma attached to mental ill-health, people with mental health problems can experience discrimination in all aspects of their lives," the petition said.
The Mental Health Care Act, 2017, came into force on May 2018, superseding the Mental Health Act, 1987.
The plea said the Act allows a person with mental illness to avail free legal services, but there has been no initiative on this front as yet.
