However, the bench in the judgment clarified that not every mental illness shall automatically qualify for an exemption from carrying out the death sentence. The petitioners, who showed symptoms of mental illness, demanded that their sentence be commuted. It also ordered the Punjab government to shift the accused from prison to the Punjab Institute of Mental Health, Lahore, for treatment and rehabilitation. The court also directed the authorities to set up high security forensic mental health facilities at teaching and training mental health institutions. It also asked to change laws to properly define mental illness so that it should not be confused with generic terms like “unsound mind”, “lunatic” and “insane”.

Source: Indian Express February 10, 2021 10:52 UTC