SC seeks govt’s reply on treatment of mentally challenged at shelter homes

In the absence of any transparency, blocking orders by themselves are labelled as confidential, and any information about them comes only through leaks in the media.

Regretting the sorry state of affairs at the homes meant for mentally challenged, the Supreme Court on Thursday took suo motu cognizance of the issue and sought explanations from the Centre and all states and UTs. A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and P C Pant issued notices to the central and state governments to submit their responses on the matter “without taking recourse to any kind of subterfuge” or an “adversarial position” in view of the “sacrosanct” purpose. The court decided to expand the scope of a petition related to one such shelter home in Delhi following a comprehensive report by senior advocate Vivek Tankha, who was appointed amicus curiae in the case. Tankha, after visiting ‘Asha Kiran,’ the home for mentally challenged in Delhi, had adduced a report pointing out the apathy towards mentally challenged people across various states.

Source:: Indian Express