When doctors of the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) took up an assessment of the 900-odd patients to enrol them in the voter’s list, they were in for a surprise. Many of them were familiar with the names and symbols of political parties and their present leaders, while some of them preferred to stay away from voting.
On Tuesday, as a first-of-its-kind initiative to issue voter’s identity cards for patients, 129 patients were enrolled to get their Electors Photo Identity Cards. This included six undertrials and acquitted persons, P. Poorna Chandrika, director of IMH, said. A total of 62 men and 67 women were enrolled.
Surprise to many
“We took up the task of assessing our inmates for their decision-making capacity. We wanted to see if they understood the process of voting. To our surprise, many of them were up-to-date with information on political parties. They have access to news on television channels in wards and newspapers. As of now, we have enrolled patients who have improved after treatment. We may continue the campaign and intensify our assessment for those who were left out,” she added.
Officials of the Corporation, including Joint Commissioner Lalitha, staff of IMH, members the of Disability Rights Alliance (DRA) and volunteers organised the camp.
This is all about inclusion, said Vaishnavi Jayakumar, member of the DRA. “We wanted to ensure that people who are often forgotten are brought into the electoral rolls,” she said.
The Representation of People Act says that a person can be disqualified for registration in an electoral roll if he is of unsound mind, while The Indian Contract Act, 1872, gives an illustration of a patient in a lunatic asylum, who is, at intervals, of sound mind and may engage in contract during those intervals.
“The law only debars those of unsound mind. Unsound mind is a legal status that has nothing to do with mental illness as The Indian Contract Act has very clearly elucidated with the example of a person in an asylum,” she observed.
Persons from The Banyan voted in 2016, she said, adding, “This time, residents of SCARF’s three centres as well as YWCA’s Navajeevan, a project for women living with mental illness, are enrolling.”
DRA is trying to work out an auxiliary polling booth inside the hospital premises, she added. Dr. Chandrika said they would create awareness among the patients on voting. “We have made this start, and will get Aadhaar in the next step,” she said.