Man who breached Delhi Assembly security has bipolar disorder, court told

The court directed that a medical board be set up to examine if he is of unsound mind.

Man who breached Delhi Assembly security has bipolar disorder, court toldOn April 6, Singh triggered a security scare at the Delhi Assembly after crashing through the VIP gate of the complex in his SUV. (File Photo)

Sarabjit Singh, the 37-year-old man who forced his way into the Delhi Assembly complex this year, has bipolar disorder, his counsel told a Delhi court on Monday.

Advocate Anshul Shukla had filed an application under the Mental Health Care Act, citing that his client was suffering from bipolar disorder, and requested that directions be issued for the constitution of a medical board.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that affects a person’s mood, energy, activity and thought and is characterised by manic and depressive episodes.

After hearing Shukla’s submissions, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Ankur Jain of Tis Hazari Court directed the constitution of a medical board to examine him.

“Ld. Addl. PP (Public Prosecutor) for the State submits that state has no objection to the constitution of the medical board. Accordingly, Director, IHBAS, is directed to constitute a medical board consisting a Specialist as required under the Mental Health Act to examine whether patient/inmate is of unsound mind and that he is incapable of entering his defence,” ASJ Jain said in his order dated July 27.

IHBAS or the Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences is an autonomous body funded jointly by the Centre and Delhi governments.

The case

On April 6, Singh triggered a security scare at the Delhi Assembly after crashing through the VIP gate of the complex in his SUV. He appeared to have tried to meet Speaker Vijender Gupta in his office.

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He had allegedly remained on the Assembly premises for around six minutes before driving out, leaving behind a bouquet of flowers and a garland of marigolds that he appeared to have brought for Gupta.

After he was arrested, he had told the police that he wanted to grab attention as he was desperately searching for his missing nephew.

Currently, Singh is in judicial custody.

What the law says

Indian law has provisions in case a person of “unsound mind” is tried before a court.

Section 329 of the CrPC, titled ‘Procedure in case of person of unsound mind tried before Court’, states that: “… the Magistrate or Court shall, in the first instance, try the fact of such unsoundness and incapacity… If the Magistrate or Court, after considering such medical and other evidence as may be produced before him… is satisfied with the fact, he… shall record a finding to that effect and shall postpone further proceedings in the case.”

Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023. Professional Background Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University. Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories. Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts. Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials. Recent notable articles In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories. 1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.  2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation. 3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police. Signature Style Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public. X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read More

 

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