Mental health can't be compressed into one size fits all approach, says Top court

New Delhi: The mental health of a person cannot be compressed into a ''one size fits all' approach, the Supreme Court has said while setting aside an order of the Karnataka High Court which quashed criminal proceedings against a government official in a case of abetment of suicide.

A bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and B V Nagarathna said the observation of the high court that there is no material to corroborate the allegations made in the suicide note is erroneous.

"The Single Judge, other than deciding on the merits of the case while exercising the power under Section 482 of the CrPC, has also made observations

diminishing the importance of mental health. The mental health of a person cannot be compressed into a one size fits all approach," the

bench said.

The apex court said it is not a consideration for the high court while exercising its power under Section 482 of the CrPC, particularly in view of the fact that the trial has not begun.

The top court said the Single Judge of the high court has termed a person who decided to commit suicide a 'weakling' and has also made observations on how the behavior of the deceased before he committed suicide was not that of a person who is depressed and suffering from mental health issues.

"Behavioural scientists have initiated the discourse on the heterogeneity of every individual and have challenged the traditional notion of 'all humans

behave alike'. Individual personality differences manifest as a variation in the behavior of people.