KOCHI: In a major setback to the Navy, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans) on Monday submitted before the Kerala High Court that the sailor who was hospitalised for treatment of ‘mental disorder’, is not suffering from any psychiatric disease.
Sunil Kumar Sahu, a native of UP, is a sailor attached to INS Kattabomman at Thirunelveli, under the Eastern Naval Command. The Navy had shifted Sahu to its hospital INS Sanjeevani in Kochi for treating a mental disorder.
Refuting the Navy’s claims, the medical board constituted by the Nimhans stated that ‘no evidence of any current psychiatric illness could be determined on Sahu’, and deemed him fit to be discharged.
The court had earlier declined the Navy’s demand to shift Sahu to any of the 16 Defence Service hospitals in the country from INS Sanjeevani. However, he was shifted to the Nimhans considering the suggestion of Additional Director General of Prosecutions Tom Jose Padinjarekkara. The medical board, comprising psychiatrists and neurologists, said that a detailed evaluation and assessment was conducted on Sahu.