Supreme Court judge Justice AK Sikri on Saturday raised concern about the rights of persons with mental illness, saying it was an issue of their human rights and they had a right to live with dignity.
Citing an incident of an asylum in Uttar Pradesh where many mentally-ill persons were chained, Sikri said, “This is happening in 2019 where we are talking about the legal rights of the mentally-ill persons. It is no more a health issue alone now.... It is an issue of their human rights also as they are not getting the suitable environment which they need. They have the right to live like any other person.”
They are also the citizen of this country and they have right to live with dignity. Their rights to live have been violated by the authorities itself, he said at a seminar here.
Sikri's comments come two days after a bench comprising him and Justice S Abdul Nazeer said chaining people with mental illness was violative of their rights under Article 21 of the Constitution.