Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Time for judiciary, psychiatrists to interact

CHENNAI: A two-day national mid-term CME programme of the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) was inaugurated by Madras High Court Chief Justice A.K. Ganguly here on Saturday.

Mr. Ganguly said the human mind was a restless one. In the present day scenario it was taxed heavily. So people were facing problems knowingly or unknowingly.

With the same set of facts, laws and same type of study by the judges, still two different types of judgments were pronounced. To overcome this problem appeals were there. Psychiatry is a subject intimately connected with the law, Mr. Ganguly said.

Over the years the legal system had improved considerably, he said, citing the example of cross examination of a rape victim. Some years ago the cross examination of such a victim would be another assault on the traumatised victim. Now such practices had to a great extent been given up and the victim was getting adequate protection, he said.

In most of the cases sexual harassment of children came from close quarters and for the girls it came from the person she trusted most. Though there were various provisions in the legal system to punish such offences, they were inadequate. The time has come for both the Judiciary and Psychiatrists to hold regular interactions with each other for rendering better justice.

Sarada Menon, Patron of the Organising Committee and founder of SCARF, said her experience with the judiciary was not good. She found it very difficult to testify in the courts.

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