Suchana Seth case: Mental health of Bengaluru CEO who killed 4yo son to be examined by board of doctors

Bengaluru CEO Suchana Seth case: A Goa court has allowed an application by the father of Suchana Seth, the Bengaluru CEO of an AI startup who is accused of killing her 4-year-old son, to get his daughter’s mental health condition examined by a board of directors. Seth’s father moved the application before a children’s court to have Suchana Seth’s mental health examined under the Mental Healthcare Act.

However, the police opposed the plea, arguing that she never showed any signs of mental illness during assessments while in custody. 

As the court allowed the plea, the police will now have to produce Suchana Seth before a medical board for a fresh examination of her mental health. "The operative part of the order is that she will have to be referred to a board under the Mental Health Act for further assessment," the lawyer, representing Suchana Seth’s father, said.

The Goa Police have said that Suchana Seth has been subjected to regular mental health check-ups, including assessments of her mental health condition, during her period in custody. They told the court that Seth gave clear and rational answers and did not report any active death wishes or suicidal tendencies. "Her judgement is intact and no psychotic or pervasive mood symptoms were elicited in her responses," the police said. 

Suchana Seth has been accused of killing her son in a service apartment in Goa’s Candolim area. She was subsequently arrested from Chitradurga district as she was fleeing from Goa to Bengaluru in a taxi. Her son’s body was found stuffed in one of the bags she had with her.