The State Legal Services Authority organised a two-day seminar on ‘Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 and Role of Legal Services Authority’ at the West Bengal Judicial Academy.
Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Thottathil B Radhakrishnan and Justice Biswanath Somadder, also the executive chairman, State Legal Services Authority, were present at the seminar. Judges, advocates, psychiatrists and social workers from across the country along with the representatives of National Legal Services Authority attended the event on Saturday and Sunday.
The Chief Justice shared his experience to depict how the Legal Services Authority may help in rehabilitation of homeless mentally ill persons and stated that it is for the authorities to reach out to persons in need and the persons with mental illness are not expected to approach the legal services authority.
Justice Somadder stated that the persons with mental illness constitute a vulnerable section of society and they ought to be treated like any other person with health problems.
Kerala High Court Bar Association president Ramkumar Nambiar, activist Ratnaboli Ray, psychiatrist J R Ram, and member secretary of State Legal Services Authority, West Bengal, Durga Khaitan, were present at the seminar.
Source: Times of India
