Suchana Seth’s mental state to be re-evaluated as Goa court allows her father’s plea

Goa police had earlier told the Children’s Court that her mental health assessment did not find any case of psychopathology and that she gave “clear and rational answers” during her medical examination.

Citing a report of the medical examination conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (IPHB) in Bambolim on February 2, Goa police had said that “serial mental status examinations did not reveal any case of psychopathology”.

“She (Suchana) gave clear and rational answers in her assessments. She did not report any active death wishes or suicidal tendencies. Her judgement is intact and no pyschotic or pervasive mood symptoms were elicited in responses,” the report said.

Last month, Suchana’s father had filed an application in the court and sought directions to the police to get her medically evaluated to assess her mental health, claiming that she was suffering from an illness.

“Suchana is unable to make her defence or has been incapable of making her defence due to the mental illness which she is suffering from… she is in denial of her own illness,” he had submitted in the application.

Suchana had booked a hotel room at hotel Sol Banyan Grande in North Goa’s Candolim from January 6 to January 10, but on January 7 night, she checked out of the hotel, claiming she had urgent work in Bengaluru. She was caught by the police from Karnataka’s Chitradurga district while allegedly trying to flee in a cab with her son’s body stuffed in a bag.