Goa Court Allows Plea For Mental Check-Up Of Suchana Seth Accused Of Killing Her Son

A Goa court on Tuesday has allowed an application by the father of Suchana Seth, (CEO of an Artificial Intelligence start-up) who is accused of killing her 4-year-old son while on a visit, to get his daughter’s mental health condition examined by a board of doctors.

Seth’s father moved an application before the children’s court to have her mental condition examined by a board of doctors under the Mental Healthcare Act.

During hearing, the police opposed the plea, stating that she didn’t show signs of mental illness during assessments of her mental health condition while in custody.

The lawyer representing her father, who argued the case before the court, stated after the court allowed the application a day prior, the police will have to produce Seth (39) before a medical board for a fresh examination of her mental condition.

The lawyer stated, “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 Goa police, investigating the case, earlier opposed the plea, informing the court that after her arrest in January, Seth has been subjected to regular health check-ups, including assessments of her mental health condition, during her period in custody.

Earlier, the police told the court, “She 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 psychotic or pervasive mood symptoms were elicited in her responses.”

Seth, whose start-up is based in neighbouring Karnataka, is accused of killing her son in a Candolim-based service apartment while on a visit to Goa.

The AI start-up CEO, locked in a divorce dispute with her husband, was arrested on January 8 from Chitradurga district in Karnataka while she was travelling in a taxi with her son’s body stuffed in a bag.