Rethink ₹20 lakh security fee for group home: HC to Chandigarh
The high court bench of justice Sheel Nagu observed that the security deposit of ₹20 lakh fixed by UT appeared to be “exorbitant”, given that the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, mandated that every person suffering from mental illness be treated with dignity, reasonableness and without any discrimination
Observing that a security deposit of ₹20 lakh could deprive deserving mental health patients of admission in the Sector-31 group home, the Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Chandigarh administration to reconsider the amount.
The high court bench of justice Sheel Nagu observed that the security deposit of ₹20 lakh fixed by UT appeared to be “exorbitant”, given that the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, mandated that every person suffering from mental illness be treated with dignity, reasonableness and without any discrimination. Hence, the governing body of the group home should hold an emergent meeting to reconsider it.
The court was hearing a plea by some residents challenging the condition of ₹20 lakh as security amount for admission in the group home for persons with mental illness and intellectual disability in Sector 31.
The plea termed the condition unreasonable, unjustified and arbitrary, and demanded that the administration be asked to reduce it to an amount equivalent to one-year fee as per room type to be charged from an applicant.
The court observed that the 13-member governing body of the society, which managed the facility, comprised mostly functionaries of the UT administration: “Hence, the administration is directed to apply its mind on the aspect of ₹20 lakh as security amount, which could deprive deserving patients of admission because of paucity of funds.”
“Let the governing body hold an emergent meeting for reconsidering the said aspect of deposit of ₹20 lakh as security, which is unaffordable by several genuine mental health patients,” the court ordered, while fixing next date of hearing on July 24.
