The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday directed the State Mental Health Authority to inspect the beggars relief and rehabilitation centre in Bengaluru and take necessary measures for providing medical treatment for mentally ill residents.
The court also said that the process of inspection, assessing mental health and providing treatment to the mentally ill inmates should be done within a period of one month.
A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Suraj Govindaraj, passed the order while disposing of a PIL petition, filed in 2010 by the High Court Legal Services Committee (HCLSC) on the living conditions of inmates and poor facilities provided in the centre following death of more than 15 inmates during 2010.
During the hearing, the counsel for the HCLSC has said that the facilities like quality of food, etc is good in the centre at present but the issue of providing treatment of mentally ill inmates has to be addressed as it was later found that several of the inmates were mentally ill.
Following this submission, the Bench disposed of the petition as the purpose for which it was filed has been served.
