Kerala High Court judicial team inspects Mental Health Centre in Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala High Court judges inspected the Mental Health Centre in Thiruvananthapuram to address severe infrastructure and staffing deficiencies. Officials highlighted a critical shortage of support staff and safety concerns, prompting promises of judicial intervention.
Why it matters
This highlights the systemic neglect of public mental health infrastructure and the role of the judiciary in enforcing state accountability for patient welfare.
Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Basant Balaji of the Kerala High Court on Saturday (July 18, 2026) inspected the Mental Health Centre (MHC), Thiruvananthapuram, and its various facilities.
They went on a detailed tour of the MHC and its campus sprawled over 26 acres, which houses several in-patient blocks, women’s wards as well as the high-security forensic block.
Senior health officials who accompanied the judicial officers and team said that infrastructure deficiencies, shortage of staff to take care of patients, especially those who need personal care assistance, issues of safety and security of patients and lack of patient amenities were all presented before the judicial team.
“They have promised to give necessary directives to the government as judicial orders,” a senior health official said.
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