New Delhi: The patients at a mental health institution in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district are allegedly kept in chains. A lawyer Gaurav Kumar Bansal filed a petition against this practice. Hearing the case, the apex court on Monday sought replies from the Central Government and others in connection with the petition.
A bench comprising Justices SA Nazeer and V Ramasubramanian issued notices to the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Justice and the Empowerment, the Madhya Pradesh Government and others. In the notice, the court sought their replies.
In the petition, Bansal sought directions not to chain the patients at the mental health facility. The institution is located near Hussain Tekri shrine in Ratlam district. According to Bansal, chaining a person suffering from mental illness is against Section 95 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. He also cited a 2019 judgement of the apex court, in which it said chaining of mentally ill people cannot be allowed and called it “atrocious and “inhuman.”
