New Delhi, January 28
As thousands of mentally-ill patients languish in asylums and hospitals, the Supreme Court has directed states/UTs to upload information on mental health facilities on the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment’s portal.
The direction came from a Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud after Additional Solicitor General Madhavi Divan informed it that the online dashboard was already functional and the states/UTs could upload the information on mental health facilities and half-way homes.
The Bench had, on Friday, asked the governments of Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Lakshadweep — which had not provided the details to be uploaded on the portal — to do so in two weeks and posted the PIL filed by lawyer Gaurav Kumar Bansal for further hearing after three weeks.
Bansal has sought rehabilitation and Covid vaccination of mentally-ill people in several hospitals and mental healthcare institutions across the country.
As Divan said she would like to do a live presentation in the court showing where the centres were located across India, the CJI asked her to give a demo on the operation of the portal later.
On September 1, 2021, the SC had issued several directions, including the one asking the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to set up a dashboard.
States, UTs get 2 weeks
The SC Bench has asked Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep to upload the details regarding mental health facilities on the Centre’s portal in two weeks.