*4-FEB-2012* *S. Shyam Prasad*
*Woman argues her own case challenging affidavits by relatives that she was mentally ill. HC issues notices to her kin and other top cops accused of conspiracy.* [image: 2012020420120204020932422e9934332_20120203203450225393de88e_pic_original.jpg] *BANGALORE* : On Thursday, L J Malathi, a 40-year-old who takes tuitions for a living, argued her own case as party-in-person before Justice N Ananda in the High Court. Impressive, one might say. But what made it more noteworthy was the fact that she was questioning the veracity of affidavits by her relatives dubbing her mentally ill. After her solo stand, there could have been little doubt about what the judge or others present in the court thought of the affidavits. Malathi told the High Court that she had filed a private complaint in the XI ACMM court on April 18, 2011 against her sister Usha, her sister's husband Nityananda, two relatives, and the DG&IG and city police commissioner. She had alleged that her relatives had kidnapped her son Sandeep in 2007 and the top cops were helping the accused. The lower court had directed the police to investigate the matter. On June 9, the inspector of the Banaswadi police station filed an FIR but did not file a final report even after six months. Though warrants were issued, her relatives managed to get anticipatory bail. Malathi told the High Court they had filed false affidavits about her mental condition and her application for cancellation of their bail was rejected on that ground by the lower court. She said the relatives called her to the Banaswadi police station in August last year and forced her to withdraw her case in the lower court. She complained to the DG&IG and the police commissioner against the Banaswadi police and the ACP (K R Puram) after the incident. Malathi said the lower court did not check any medical certificates and instead relied on the affidavits to conclude that she was mentally ill. She has accused the police of helping the accused by falsely stating that at the time of her son's kidnapping in 2007, he was 21 years old instead of 16. She said her son was kept in a slum by her relatives and came back to her a day after she filed a writ petition in the High Court in February. Malathi told Bangalore Mirror that her son, whom she wanted to send to college, had been turned into a labourer by her relatives. She told the High Court that she came to Bangalore in 1990 from Chikmagalur. She fell in love with and married Mukther Ahmed, from whom she has two sons. Ahmed died in 2002. Malathi said both their families were against the inter-religious marriage and she had faced harassment from her family on the issue. After her husband's death, her family members took Sandeep away. She filed a habeas corpus petition in 2007 in the HC, which granted custody of the child to her. She filed another habeas corpus petition in 2008 after he was taken away a second time. The same year, he was taken away again by the relatives, and she filed a private complaint in the magistrate's court. The High Court has issued notices to the DG&IG, the city police commissioner, the DCP (East), the ACP (K R Puram), the Banaswadi police and six of her relatives, and has posted the matter for hearing on February 29. http://www.bangaloremirror.com/index.aspx?page=article§id=1&contentid=2012020420120204020932422e9934332 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/MhaNewsViewsIndia?hl=en ------------- Affiliated Groups : MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY INDIA [email protected] Discussions on mental health law / policy / plan monitoring / human rights etc [email protected] India-specific news and views related to mental health [email protected] Information and support to carers of people with mental health issues [email protected] Mutual support and sharing of experiential knowledge, skills and social learning amongst peers
