Court refuses to handcuff murder accused with suicidal tendency, orders counselling
22 Aug 2014 11:31 PM GMT
A Delhi court has refused to handcuff a murder accused with a suicidal tendency, and has directed the police to provide him with a psychiatrist.
According to police, the accused Sapan Das had tried to commit suicide on 7 August before he was produced in court. Citing the incident police had moved an application seeking permission to handcuff him, saying that he had suicidal tendency. The accused had denied the role of any police official in compelling him to take such a step. However, metropolitan magistrate Shivani Chauhan noted that the accused was under severe depression and said, ‘Keeping him in handcuffs and fetters would be inhuman and would not solve the real problem.’
A police inspector of Govindpuri police station has submitted in his application that Das had a suicidal tendency and after the incident on 7 August, he was taken to AIIMS immediately. ‘The accused has suicidal tendency and there is a possibility of another attempt of suicide by him, hence order for handcuffing and using fetters on accused be passed to prevent another attempt,’ said police in its petition.
However, the court directed the superintendent of Tihar Jail to provide counselling to Das on a daily basis in the jail campus for two weeks. ‘The superintendent of the jail is directed to provide facilities of a senior psychiatrist for counselling him on a daily basis for at least two weeks. The accused be kept at the jail hospital till such time,’ said the court. The court also sought the report from the psychiatrist by 28 August, the next date of hearing.
According to police, the accused Sapan Das had tried to commit suicide on 7 August before he was produced in court. Citing the incident police had moved an application seeking permission to handcuff him, saying that he had suicidal tendency. The accused had denied the role of any police official in compelling him to take such a step. However, metropolitan magistrate Shivani Chauhan noted that the accused was under severe depression and said, ‘Keeping him in handcuffs and fetters would be inhuman and would not solve the real problem.’
A police inspector of Govindpuri police station has submitted in his application that Das had a suicidal tendency and after the incident on 7 August, he was taken to AIIMS immediately. ‘The accused has suicidal tendency and there is a possibility of another attempt of suicide by him, hence order for handcuffing and using fetters on accused be passed to prevent another attempt,’ said police in its petition.
However, the court directed the superintendent of Tihar Jail to provide counselling to Das on a daily basis in the jail campus for two weeks. ‘The superintendent of the jail is directed to provide facilities of a senior psychiatrist for counselling him on a daily basis for at least two weeks. The accused be kept at the jail hospital till such time,’ said the court. The court also sought the report from the psychiatrist by 28 August, the next date of hearing.
Next Story
