The Supreme Court, while hearing a plea pertaining to rehabilitation of mentally ill patients languished in hospitals, directed the State of Maharashtra to do away with the practice of shifting such patients to beggar homes or old age homes as it contradicts the objective and spirit of Mental Healthcare Act.
The bench addressed this matter in order to ensure the rights, dignity and safety of vulnerable mentally ill patients.
The counsel on behalf of State submitted that the respective States have taken initiatives to address the discrepancies in the data which had been collected by the hospitals and by the Task Force. The counsel also highlighted that the status of halfway homes also had to be cross-checked.
The amicus curiae in this case brought before the court the reality of State of Maharashtra who transferred patients suffering from mental illness to the beggar homes. Moreover, the amicus curiae stated that the affidavit of the state government mentioned that male persons below the age of 59 years should be shifted to beggar homes and ones above that, to old age homes.
It was averred that this practice on behalf of State of Maharashtra violates the provision under Section 104 of Mental Healthcare Act.
The bench, upon hearing these submissions, observed that more than sufficient time has passed in determining this issue and the current situation demands quick decisions in order to bring back things to normalcy.
The bench also condemned the decision of transferring mentally ill patients to beggar homes. The bench directed the Maharashtra government to discontinue this practice and fixed the next date of hearing.
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