Suchana Seth’s mental health assessment indicates ‘no psychopathology’, her ‘judgement intact’: Goa police in court

“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 reply said.

Last week, 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.

He had added, “Grave prejudice will be caused as she is neither able to put her defence nor is able to give proper instructions on account of her sickness or mental condition and therefore in the interest of justice, it would be proper and just to inquire into her mental health for adjudication.”

In the previous hearing, Goa police had told the court that Suchana’s medical examination had been conducted at the IPHB and the report was awaited.

The court on Tuesday adjourned the matter for February 21 and extended her judicial remand till February 26.

Suchana and Venkatraman married in 2010 and had a son in 2019, following which differences cropped up in their marriage. The two were separated and embroiled in divorce and custody proceedings. Police had earlier told The Indian Express that strained relations with her husband and a custody battle may have led her to allegedly commit the crime.

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.