New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Central Government to file an affidavit indicating the steps taken by the Health Ministry to prevent suicides in the country.
The direction came from a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
"Counsel appearing on behalf of the Union of India states that in response to the petition, a comprehensive affidavit of the steps which are being taken to allay the grievance in the petition shall be filed. The affidavit shall be filed within a period of four weeks," the court said and listed the matter for August 9.
The court was dealing with Public Interest Litigation moved by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal.
In his petition, Bansal highlighted that as per RTI replies provided by Delhi Police, more than 400 students under 18 years of age have died by suicide in the national capital of Delhi between 2014 and 2018.
Hence, the petitioner in his plea sought multiple directions which include immediate steps for the prevention and reduction of suicides in various parts of the country. Advocate Bansal also sought directions to the Centre and State governments to frame and effectively implement a Public Health Program to control suicides in their respective jurisdictions and to start a project for providing aid, support, and advice to persons with suicidal thoughts through various helplines.
He also sought a status report on the implementation of Section 29, Section 30, and Section 115 of the Mental Healthcare Act-2017.
He further stated that the purpose of his petition is to address the ground reality that persons are committing suicides and each and every have not planned, designed, formulated, and implemented a PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMME concentrating on the reduction and control of suicides.
"The data provided by Delhi Police with respect to suicides committed by children below the age of 18 years in the National Capital clearly shows that the Govt. of NCT of Delhi has not only failed in taking steps for the prevention and reduction of suicides in the National Capital but has also grossly violated various provisions of the Mental Healthcare Act - 2017," read the petition.
"Suicides are preventable. Apart from the tragedy, suicide is a major public health issue which the Respondents have failed to recognize as a public health problem. What adds insult to the injury is the taboo and stigma surrounding suicide, resulting in a social environment where people hesitate to seek help. In cases where people wish to seek help, our public health system and services fail to provide a timely and effective mechanism," the petition said.
As per a World Health Organization report titled "Preventing Suicide: A Global Imperative," young people are among the most affected. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for those between the ages of 15 and 29 years globally, the petition said.
