Thiruvananthapuram: District Legal Service Authority (DLSA) has opened a centre for people with a mental health condition admitted to the Medical College de-addiction centre in association with its psychiatric department to ensure their rights and to provide assistance.
The Legal Aid Clinic will be open on Wednesdays from 10 AM to 5 PM offering services of a panel of advocate and a paralegal volunteer.
The services include assistance in court proceedings. The clinic is a part of the project launched by the National Legal Services Authority in 2015.
DLSA section officer Santhosh Kumar said such a cell was already functioning in Mental Health Centre, Peroorkada, and Asha Bhavan for men and Asha Bhavan for women.
“We had rehabilitated people who have had no takers even after they were cured of the disease. This was done by conducting adalats in which the relatives of the people with a mental health condition also attended,” he told DC.
“Their rights are clearly mentioned in the Mental Health Act and the National Trust Act ensuring their welfare and preventing alienation of their landed properties. A trust with the collector as chairman is entrusted with the task to monitor their property. The legal cell will help safeguard their rights.”
