Notify standards for de-addiction centres, Delhi high court tells govt

A bench of Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Vinod Goel said the standards should be notified within a week and uploaded online before September 19. It also asked the law secretary to file an affidavit before the next hearing, indicating that the order has been complied with.

The Delhi high court on Thursday told the Aam Aadmi Party government to notify the minimum standards for de-addiction centres in the national capital after it was informed that the lieutenant governor (L-G) has approved the rules for regulating the standards for these centres.

The Delhi high court’s order came while hearing a habeas corpus plea filed by the father and brother of a man, who was allegedly illegally detained at a de-addiction centre in the city, where he was admitted by his wife and children on the pretext that he was an alcoholic. (File Photo)

A bench of Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Vinod Goel said the standards should be notified within a week and uploaded online before September 19. It also asked the law secretary of the Delhi government to file an affidavit before the next hearing, indicating that the order has been complied with.

The court’s order came while hearing a habeas corpus plea filed by the father and brother of a man, who was allegedly illegally detained at a de-addiction centre in the city, where he was admitted by his wife and children on the pretext that he was an alcoholic.

The Delhi government informed the court that once the rules are notified and publicised, a mechanism will be laid down for such centres to apply for permission to function.

According to a status report filed by the Delhi government, the L-G had held a meeting with all stakeholders, including the State Mental Health Authority (SMHA), before finalising and approving the rules.

Meanwhile, the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA), through advocate Sumer Sethi, informed the court that the number of de-addiction centres in the city are 102. The court had earlier been told that there are 125 de-addiction centres.