PESHAWAR, Oct 12: The Peshawar Criminal Justice Coordination Committee decided on Tuesday to fully implement the Mental Health Ordinance, 2001, and directed police not to imprison a person suffering from a mental disorder.

The meeting, presided over by district and sessions judge Hayat Ali Shah, reviewed different provisions of the law and took various decisions in this regard. The meeting decided that in future no such person suffering from any mental disorder should be detained and rather shifted to the Peshawar mental hospital.

It was also decided that all the mentally-ill persons at present detained at the central prison, Peshawar, should be forthwith shifted to the mental hospital. The meeting coincided with the World Mental Health Day.

The sessions judge directed the police not to register any FIR against a person suffering from mental ailment and found in a public place. He also ordered that such persons could not be booked by the police and under the law they should be shifted to a hospital for treatment.

He added that such persons needed immediate attention of the quarter concerned, including the judicial officers, police, and prison staff. Mr Hayat Ali Shah pointed out that under section 19 of the Mental Health Ordinance, 2001, if an officer in-charge of a police station found in a public place a mentally-ill person he should remove him to a place of safety which meant a government-run health or psychiatric facility.

He pointed out that it was the responsibility of the local police to inform the relatives of such mentally ill persons soon after shifting him or her to the hospital.

Mr Shah stated that contrary to the provisions of the ordinance, the mentally-ill persons were arrested and booked under section 107 of the Criminal Procedure Code. He added that such patients were detained in the central prison which was a negation of law.