Divya expresses wish to pursue studies, say psychiatrists

A team of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists submits report to HC

July 25, 2013 09:37 am | Updated November 16, 2021 08:53 pm IST - CHENNAI:

N. Divya. Photo: V. Ganesan

N. Divya. Photo: V. Ganesan

A team of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists who counselled Divya of Dharmapuri informed the Madras High Court on Wednesday that she had expressed her wish to pursue her studies and had a positive thinking about her future.

The report was submitted to a Division Bench, comprising Justices M. Jaichandren and M.M. Sundresh, when a writ petition seeking a CBI enquiry into the death of E. Ilavarasan of Dharmapuri came up for hearing.

The marriage of Ilavarasan, who belonged to a scheduled caste, and Divya, a caste Hindu, led to the suicide of the girl’s father Nagaraj of Chellankottai. The suicide sparked mob fury in Dharmapuri district on November 7. The body of Ilavarasan was found near a railway track in Dharmapuri on July 4. The petitioner, S. Jimraj Milton, Chennai branch secretary of the Human Rights Protection Centre, Tamil Nadu, had sought a probe by the Central agency into Ilavarasan’s death as investigation by the State police was “ineffective”.

In the report submitted through the Government Pleader, S.T.S. Moorthy and the Special Government Pleader, I.S.Inbadurai, the team consisting of K.S.Ravishankar, Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Government Dharmapuri Medical College, V. Sabitha, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health (IMH), and A.G. Shanthi, Assistant Professor/Clinical Psychologist, IMH, said she was counselled on two days from July 19 for four hours. She cooperated in the interview. She communicated well. The doctors said she was counselled to proceed towards an optimistic future.

“She was taught coping skills and relaxation techniques to overcome the anxiety. Supportive psychotherapy was given to sustain the adaptive atmosphere and direct her towards a practical life. Her family members were also taught coping strategies and adaptive skills.”

According to the team, Divya and her family members felt better after the sessions. They said the sessions were satisfying and helpful and felt that it was enough for now.

“They further added that they would contact the local psychiatric department if needed in future.”

As regards counselling for Ilavarasan’s parents, they did not turn up. When approached, they said they were engaged in performing the rites for their son.

Meanwhile, when a habeas corpus petition (HCP) filed by Divya’s mother, L.Thenmozhi, earlier also came up before the Bench, a counsel Rupert Barnabas said the petition should be treated as closed. An endorsement had already been made on the petition for treating the petition as dismissed as withdrawn. But, Mr. Justice Jaichandren orally observed that the court had not passed any order. Counsel R.Sankarasubbu, appearing for the other side, said the petition should not be closed in view of the developments in the matter.

The Bench posted the writ petition for next week. It reserved orders on the HCP.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.