1 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION NO. 133 OF 2005 ALONG WITH CIVIL APPLICATION NO. 60 OF 2007 Dr.(Mrs.) Chadrakala R. Samant. ..... ..... Petitioner. Versus Union of India & Ors. ...... ..... Respondents. None present for the petitioner. Mr. R.B.Raghuwanshi with Mrs.Rutuja Ambekar for Respondent No.1. Mr. R. P. Behere, Addl.G.P. For Respondent Nos.2 and 3. CORAM : BILAL NAZKI and S. S. SHINDE, JJ. DATED : 11TH JUNE, 2008. P.C.: This petition was filed by the petitioner seeking direction to the Union of India and the State Government including the Ministry of Defence to adhere to the provisions of the Mental Health Act, 1987. 2. During pendency of this petition for number of years, various orders were passed by the various Benches of this Court which have been complied with and the State Government has now constituted Committees to monitor and assess the over-all functioning of the mental hospitals in the State of Maharashtra. These Committees would be headed by the District and Sessions Judge and are supposed to meet at least once in two months. We expect that these Committees will ensure that the provisions of the Mental 2 Health Act, 1987 are complied with in their respective areas of operation in letter and spirit. 3. Regarding direction to the Ministry of Defence, we have heard the learned Counsel Mr. Raghuwanshi, Additional Solicitor General, who submits that the provisions similar to the provisions of Mental Health Act are contained in paras 446 to 453 of the Regulation for Medical Services of the Armed Forces, which are complied with. We have not gone into the question as to whether this Regulation covers all the areas which are covered by the Mental Health Act. 4. Therefore, we direct the Central Government and also the Ministry of Defence to implement the Mental Health Act, 1987 in its letter and spirit as far as the persons suffering from mental diseases, who are subject to Army Act, Navy Act or Air Force Act, are concerned. 5. With this direction the writ petition is disposed of. 6. In view of the disposal of the writ petition itself, the civil application does not survive and is also disposed of as such. Sd/- (BILAL NAZKI, J.) Sd/- (S. S. SHINDE, J.)