E-Paper
Panchkula court lets off murder accused suffering from psychotic disorder
Sanjay Kumar had bludgeoned his stepfather to death with a stick at their home in Chandimandir’s Mau village on March 20, 2017
A Panchkula court has acquitted a 23-year-old man of murdering his stepfather, as he is suffering from a psychotic disorder. The court has also directed the Haryana government to ensure that he gets proper medical treatment for his mental health.
Sanjay Kumar had bludgeoned the victim, Budh Ram, to death with a stick at their home in Chandimandir’s Mau village on March 20, 2017. He had confessed to the crime, saying that he got irritated with his stepfather, who was pestering him to work fast while cleaning some dry grass.
He also told police that his parents were living separately and he used to reside with his mother in Himachal Pradesh. Budh Ram had brought him to Mau just two months before the incident.
During the court proceedings, legal aid counsel Manbir Singh Rathi threw light on Sanjay’s mental condition and moved the plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Following this, a medical board was constituted and it found that Sanjay was suffering from schizophrenia-like psychotic disorder and was of unsound mind.
Even his relatives stated that Sanjay used to show signs of some mental disorder as he used to talk to himself, laugh when he was sitting alone and consume meals again within a short interval.
One of the doctors of the medical board said that in this psychotic disorder, the patient cannot distinguish between good or bad, and keeps having hallucinations and illusions. Stating that there is no permanent cure, the doctor recommended continuous treatment.
Even the medical officer of the Ambala jail, where Sanjay was lodged during the trial, said: “Sanjay remains alright till he is under medication, but if even a single dose is missed, he becomes aggressive and starts attacking others.”
After hearing all sides, the sessions court acquitted Sanjay of the murder charge, giving him benefit under Section 84 (act of a person of unsound mind) of the Indian Penal Code.
Sessions judge Deepak Gupta observed: “Once it has been found that the accused has been of unsound mind/insane and there is no permanent cure for the disease and that he can be managed only by way of giving medicines, the duty of the court does not finish by merely recording his acquittal.”
The court directed the state government to admit the accused in any of the mental hospitals or centers, where adequate facilities for his treatment are available. “Accused shall be released from any of such centre, as and when he is found fit to be released,” the judge observed.
“Before parting with the judgment, this court will be failing its duty, in case it does not record its appreciation for the hard work put in by Manbir Singh Rathi, legal aid counsel, in bringing to the notice of the court the mental condition of the accused and then assisting the court in reaching to the right conclusion and for restoration of the mental health of accused,” the sessions judge mentioned in his ruling.
