SC transfers PIL seeking implementation of law on mental health care to NHRC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday transferred to the National Human Rights Commission a PIL for the implementation of a 2017 law on safeguarding the rights and needs of persons with mental illnesses and asked it to monitor the matter.
A bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and R Mahadevan said the rights body should monitor the petition filed by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal in 2018.
The top court took on record an affidavit filed by the Centre and noted that statutory authorities have been constituted to implement the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017.
It, however, noted that the petitioner has sought several other "prayers". These shall also be monitored by the NHRC.
The top court had previously said that Parliament enacted the Mental Healthcare Act in 2017 which contemplates establishment of a Central Mental Health Authority (CMHA), State Mental Health Authority (SMHA) and Mental Health Review Board (MHRB). On March 2, it directed the Centre to file an affidavit indicating the establishment and functioning of the three bodies.
The affidavit should also show the statutory and mandatory appointments to the authority and the review board.
On January 3, 2019, the apex court issued notices to the Centre, all states and Union Territories on the petition which claimed that non-implementation of provisions of the Act by the states and UTs was a gross violation of life and liberty of the citizens.
The PIL argued that persons with mental illnesses were chained in a faith-based mental asylum in Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh in violation of provisions of the Mental Health Care Act 2017. The court examined the photos of such patients calling it a matter of great concern.
The bench said chaining people with mental illness was violative of their rights under Article 21 of the Constitution, which deals with life and personal liberty, and their dignity cannot be compromised.
According to the PIL, chaining a person suffering from mental illness is a blatant violation of a provision of the 2017 Act which says that every such person shall not only have a right to live with dignity but he or she shall be protected from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
Referring to the National Mental Health Survey 2016, the petitioner claimed that around 14 per cent of India's population requires active mental health interventions and around 2 per cent Indians were suffering from severe mental disorders.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
