Mental hospitals:SC takes note of non-filing of replies to PIL

The Supreme Court today took strong note of some states failing to reply to a PIL seeking improvement of conditions of mental hospitals in the country by providing adequate financial resources and increasing the number of trained doctors.
"Why all states have not filed the counter (affidavits)? File within four weeks," a bench headed by Justice K S Radhakrishnan said, adding the non-compliance may result in an order by which a senior official will have to appear in the court.
Besides the Centre, seven states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Odisha have filed their replies, a counsel said.

The court, which gave four weeks time for filing of responses, has now posted the matter for hearing in second week of January.
Jurist Upendra Baxi is also pursuing the PIL which was filed by the National Human Rights Commission seeking a direction for setting up of more autonomous mental health hospital in the country.
"The mental health hospitals in the country are facing serious financial constraints as adequate resources allocation is not being made to meet their requirements. The Centre and state governments should accord priority in allocation of financial resources both for the regular maintenance and the up-gradation of the physical infrastructure of these institutions," the human rights panel had said.

It said many hospitals are 100 to 150 years old and they do not receive the same priority as general health.
It said each state and Union Territory must have one mental health hospital fully equipped with latest equipment and sufficient medical and para medical manpower and such hospitals be made autonomous.