Sun Feb 23 13:03:31 UTC 2025: ## Kerala High Court Overturns Life Sentence, Citing Mental Healthcare Act
**Kochi, Kerala – February 23, 2025** – The Kerala High Court overturned a life imprisonment sentence handed down to a woman who attempted suicide after murdering her three-month-old baby. The court ruled that the lower court’s verdict violated Section 115(1) of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017.
The Division Bench, comprising Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and P.V. Balakrishnan, stated that the Act prevents the trial and punishment of individuals who attempt suicide, not only for the attempted suicide itself but also for any other crimes committed during the same incident, unless severe stress is disproven. The court highlighted the Act’s mandate (Section 115(2)) for providing care and rehabilitation to those experiencing severe stress and attempting suicide, rendering imprisonment for other offences illogical in such cases.
The High Court determined that the Thrissur Additional Sessions Court erred by proceeding with the trial and delivering the judgment after the Mental Healthcare Act came into force on July 7, 2018. Furthermore, the High Court found no evidence presented to suggest the accused did not suffer from severe stress. Therefore, the life sentence was deemed illegal and quashed.
First Piper 