The division bench has asked the government and UT counsels to apprise the court on the steps taken by authorities on April 27.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought a response from the governments of Punjab and Haryana and the Chandigarh Administration on the steps taken for rehabilitation of the people who have been abandoned by their families due to their mental health problems and are seen roaming around in public places.
The division bench of Justices Ajay Kumar Mittal and Anupinder Singh Grewal has asked the government and UT counsels to apprise the court on the steps taken by authorities on April 27.
During the resumed hearing of a Suo motu case, the division bench was informed that the authorities had not framed a policy on the issue despite a court order in this regard passed in 2015.
The governments and the UT have been asked to apprise the court whether any “scheme has been framed for the mentally disabled persons, who are not involved in any crime and yet suffer harassment, neglect and deprivation at the hands of their family or are seen roaming about in public places without any one taking responsibility for their care, protection of maintenance.”
The High Court in 2015 had initiated the PIL on the basis of a Supreme Court order passed in 2014 asking all the High Courts to look into the issues touching the rights of undertrial prisoners, especially women and children. The HCs had also been asked to examine the condition of those people having psychiatric illness and who had been abandoned by their families.
The PIL had earlier remained focused only on the right of prisoners, especially belonging to the foreign nations. During the previous hearing, the division bench was informed that there are 19 foreign prisoners in the Amritsar jail and their nationality had been not been confirmed by their respective nations yet.