Chennai: The Madras High Court has ordered for the Department of Welfare of Differently Abled to undertake the work of identifying mentally challenged and destitute people wandering on the streets and to send them to the appropriate government homes.
Chennai: The Madras High Court has ordered for the Department of Welfare of Differently Abled to undertake the work of identifying mentally challenged and destitute people wandering on the streets and to send them to the appropriate government homes.
In these modern times the number of destitute have also increased. These kind of people without anyone to care for are found on the road sides, railway stations and in the campus of the government hospital, where they while their time away. Similarly, mentally challenged people are also spotted without anybody to care for them.
With the spread of COVID-19 spiking on a daily basis, many such mentally challenged people, affected by COVID-19 are waiting to be rescued, said a Public litigation case filed at the Madras High Court.
The case was filed by High Court Lawyer Karpagavalli. The petition stated, “Mentally challenged people are wandering around in many public places. Many of them have contracted COVID-19. However, they do not have a place to reside or food to eat. Hence the TN government must be ordered to identify them and send them to the concerned camps and treat them.”
This case was heard today by judges Sundaresh and Hemalatha. Lawyer Prabhakaran who appeared on behalf of the petitioner citing a case that had been published in a news daily and said that many mentally challenged people have been wandering around the Palani hills.
The judges M.M. Sundaresh and Hemalatha who heard the case said, “Mentally challenged people all over TN must be identified. The Department of Welfare for Differently abled people Commissioner must appoint one officer in each district to identify the mentally challenged people in the district.Action must be taken to identify such people and admit them into Government homes. The notice to inform of the action taken must be submitted before July 18”, they ordered.