Mental Health Care Bill to decriminalise suicide tabled
The new mental health care bill, which seeks to decriminalise suicide and makes access to affordable mental health care a right for all, was introduced in Rajya Sabha this week.
|Last Updated: Aug 22, 2013, 09:30 AM IST|Source: Bureau
New Delhi: The new mental health care bill, which seeks to decriminalise suicide and makes access to affordable mental health care a right for all, was introduced in Rajya Sabha this week.
For the first time in the history of criminal law reform in the country, Mental Health Care Bill, 2013 seeks to decriminalise acts of suicide by linking them to the state of mental health of the person attempting the act.
The forward-looking Bill explicitly states that acts of suicide will not be criminalised and those attempting suicide would be treated to be mentally ill unless proved otherwise and therefore exempted from the current provisions of Section 309 of Indian Penal Code.
Section 124 of the Bill states, "Notwithstanding anything contained in Section 309 of the IPC, any person who attempts suicide shall be presumed, unless proved otherwise, to be suffering from mental illness at the time of the bid and shall not be liable to punishment under the said Section."
The Bill thus clarifies that the act of suicide and the mental health of the person committing the act are inseparably linked and have to be seen together and not in isolation.
Moved by the Ministry of Health, the Bill lays down a proper provision for the treatment of persons attempting suicide.
The Bill seeks to provide for mental health care for persons with mental illnesses and to protect, promote and fulfil the rights of such persons during delivery of mental health care and services.
It is the first time that the Government has come up with rights based approach in the mental health law.
The Law Commission will separately move this amendment to the Criminal Law which would eventually be effected by the Home Ministry.
However, Health Ministry sources said the Law Ministry agreed on the proposed Section in the new mental health care bill to decriminalise suicide.
"It is a landmark bill which takes care of the rights of the mentally ill. It is forward looking and India needed such a law. It strongly protects the rights of mentally ill and puts a lot of onus for the welfare of the ill on the Government," a Health Ministry official said.
The Bill fills the long standing gap in the mental health law in India after the country ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requiring it to harmonise its laws with those prevalent worldwide.
India had signed the convention on October 1, 2007 and it came into force on May 3, 2008.
Once the Parliament passes the Bill and it is assented by the President, it will replace the Mental Health Act of 1987.
The new Bill guarantees several rights to the mentally ill from the right to privacy in mental health establishments to the right to dignity.
It bars inhuman practices such as electro convulsive therapy without anesthesia, sterilisation as a treatment for illness, chaining and tonsuring of heads of the mentally ill.
The Bill also provides stringent penalties for those found running unregistered mental health care establishments which would be fined with Rs 50,000 to Rs five lakh depending on the frequency of the offence.
It seeks to regulate the public and private mental health sectors and establish a mental health system integrated into all levels of general health care.
The law also provides for the Advance Directive to be furnished in writing by a person, irrespective of his mental illness, and registered with a Mental Board to be set up by the government at state and central levels.
This directive allows the individual to appoint a nominated representative to deal with the kind of treatment he wants in the case he falls mentally ill in future.
The Bill provides for a State Mental Health Authority and a Central Mental Health Authority along with a Mental Health Review Commission to regulate the sector and register institutions.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.