Acting Chief Justice of the High Court at Hyderabad, Justice Ramesh Ranganathan, on Saturday expressed concern over the opinion that mentally ill persons were incapable of doing things and called for creating awareness that given an opportunity they could shine in any field.
Inaugurating a workshop organised here by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) on Legal Services to Mentally Ill and Mentally Disabled Persons Scheme-2015, he said that when Winston Churchill could become the Prime Minister and fight the World War-II to end the Nazi era despite having bipolar disorder, why should mentally ill and disabled persons be not allowed to rise in their respective professions.
Justice Ranganathan said the primary objective of the workshop was to create awareness on their rights and step in to offer free legal service whenever needed. “They need support, not sympathy or pity,” he remarked.
Regretting that many were ignorant of laws, he said the new legislation on mental health came into force in April repealing the old enactment made in 1987. He pointed out that he knew some people who even after diagnosed as schizophrenia patients had been leading a normal life after getting treatment.
Sports centre
District Collector Pravin Kumar announced that a 10-acre plot had been allotted for establishing a sports centre for mentally ill and disabled persons.
Admitting that most of the government buildings in the district did not have access to persons with disabilities, he said they were planning to install a lift at the Collectorate to enable them to have easy access to the officials. In the district, 41 buildings, including the district court complex, had been identified to be made disabled-friendly. Mr. Kumar said the officials concerned were meeting once a month to enforce the implementation of the new legislation and pointed out besides old age pension, they were also providing merit scholarship and vocation training to students who were otherwise abled.
Commissioner of Police T. Yoganand said they held a meeting of the officials on October 16 to finalise a strategy to provide night shelters and other homes to rehabilitate mentally ill patients abandoned by their families and offer free legal aid.
AP State Legal Services Authority member-secretary P.V. Ramababu, Principal District Judge P.V. Jyotirmayee, and SP Rahul Dev Sharma were present.
