Court directive on mentally ill persons

The Madras High Court has directed the Director-General of Police to immediately issue instructions to officers in the districts that if the police suspect that mentally ill persons were roaming in and around the town, city or village, they should be dealt with in accordance with the Mental Health Act.

Passing orders on a writ petition seeking a direction to the official authorities to take steps to admit the mentally ill persons who were roaming in and around Vedaranyam town in Nagapattinam district to hospital, a Division Bench comprising Justices D. Murugesan and K. Venkataraman said the DGP should periodically monitor, at least once in six months, the action taken by the police.

“We are constrained to issue this order as the mentally ill persons are helpless and they do not know what is happening in and around them and it is for the authorities empowered to give them treatment and care and they must act in time and any negligence in this regard would not be in the interest of such mentally ill person.” The Bench also made it clear that under the guise of the said direction, persons who were not mentally ill should not be harassed.

The petitioner submitted that mentally ill persons were creating problems for the local public in Vedaranyam town. They did not know Tamil and they were brought by lorry drivers from some other States. They were roaming in the town even without dress and were starving.

The Bench said considering the allegation in the writ petition, the court was of the opinion that instead of considering the issue with reference to a particular place in question, the issue could be considered for the entire State.