Cabinet approves harsh actions against provoking mental patients to commit crime

The cabinet has approved the proposed National Mental Health Act-2017 to replace a 105-year old lunacy law with the draft suggesting stern punitive actions against provoking mental patients to commit crimes and running unlicensed facilities for lunatics. The cabinet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair approved the proposed law in its weekly meeting also redefining persons having mental disorders. "The new law will replace the 105-year old The Lunacy Act 1912," Cabinet Secretary Md. Shafiul Alam told a media briefing after the meeting. He said according to the draft anybody provoking a mental patient to commit any offence would fac…