Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 16
The Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench has directed the State Government to appoint personnel to the Nagaland Mental Health Review Board within three weeks.
If the personnel are not appointed by the next hearing date, the Principal Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, Nagaland, must appear before the Court, stated the order issued by the Division Bench of Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice LS Jamir on June 14.
The Principal Secretary serves as the Chairperson of the State Mental Health Authority, Nagaland.
According to the order of June 14, the Court on May 8 had granted time to the Senior Government Advocate to provide necessary instructions regarding the appointments for the board.
However, during the subsequent hearing on Friday, the Senior Government Advocate informed the Court that the matter of personnel appointments is currently under consideration within the department and is expected to be completed within the next three weeks.
In light of this assurance, the Court scheduled further hearings for July 10 and issued the directive.
The Division Bench was handling a Public Interest Litigation filed in 2020 urging the Court to issue a writ of mandamus directing the State authorities to constitute the State Mental Health Authority in accordance with provisions of the Mental Health Care Act, 2017.
The PIL also called for the establishment of Mental Health Review Boards as mandated by the same Act across all districts.
During this period, the Court issued several directives likely to have expedited the appointment of the authority and board, as well as the notification and publication of the State Mental Health Rules framed under Section 121 of the Mental Health Care Act, 2007, in the Official Gazette.
