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The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea seeking directions to prevent people from entering animal enclosures at zoos in alleged attempts to die by suicide.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Augustine George Masih and Sandeep Mehta observed that adequate safeguards were already in place and said, Everyone is supposed to act as per the law. The plea challenged a July 2020 Delhi High Court order which had declined to entertain a petition alleging inaction by authorities over repeated incidents of people entering animal enclosures across the country. The High Court had, however, allowed the petitioner to approach the concerned authorities with a representation. The Supreme Court had taken up the matter in 2020 and sought the Centres response on the interplay between Section 115 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 and Section 309 of the erstwhile IPC concerning attempts to commit suicide. Section 115 of the Mental Healthcare Act presumes severe stress in cases of attempted suicide and provides that such persons should not be tried or punished under the IPC, while requiring the government to provide care, treatment and rehabilitation. The petitioner had cited instances of people entering tiger and lion enclosures, some of which resulted in deaths, and alleged inadequate preventive measures by zoo authorities. (ANI)
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