New Delhi: Observing that a man suffering from severe schizophrenia was incapable of understanding the proceedings against him or defending himself, a Delhi sessions court has suspended his prosecution in two criminal cases and directed that he continues receiving psychiatric care.“A man with severe schizophrenia, incapable of understanding his trial or defending himself, remains alive today because court intervention helped trace him and secure sustained psychiatric care,” the court observed.Additional sessions judge Hargurvinder Singh Jaggi of Saket Courts, in twin orders passed on Oct 15, discharged accused Mahender Singh from two sessions cases after medical evaluations found him unfit to stand trial.Singh was an accused in two cases registered at Malviya Nagar police station, including one relating to the alleged abduction of Subhash Chand Batra and his driver, Santosh Kumar, on Oct 13, 2000, under charges of kidnapping for ransom and criminal conspiracy. The other case involved charges of criminal intimidation, anonymous threats and conspiracy.The court directed Singh’s continued residential care at Nav Chetna Home in Rohini, along with psychiatric treatment at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS).“With due care and continuous medical and clinical treatment at IHBAS, Mahender Singh remains alive in flesh and bones,” the court observed.Singh was arrested in May 2015 after remaining absconding for years. During the proceedings, his mental condition deteriorated. Medical assessments conducted by PGIMS, Rohtak, found that he suffered from schizophrenia resulting in 90% permanent mental disability. He later went missing and was eventually found wandering on the streets before being produced before the court in Dec 2025. His wife and sons expressed their inability to care for him.Judge Jaggi observed that criminal prosecution imposes “heavy, invisible fetters and dark clouds of suspicion” on an accused despite the presumption of innocence, and that the situation becomes more tragic when mental illness leaves a person incapable of understanding proceedings or mounting a defence.The court stressed that the provisions dealing with accused persons of unsound mind must be applied humanely and serve to protect those incapable of defending themselves through appropriate legal safeguards, care and treatment.Noting that returning Singh to the custody of his family would be a “herculean task”, the court invoked Section 330(3)(b) of the CrPC and ordered his continued care, upkeep and treatment. It also appreciated the medical teams at IHBAS and Nav Chetna Home for their “untiring work, selfless service and positive attitude”.
