FORENSIC MENTAL HEALTH – TIME TO IMPLEMENT SAFIA BANO JUDGEMENT?

Over 3 years have passed since the landmark Safia Bano Supreme Court judgement. This judgment laid the foundations for capacity building in the area of forensic mental health however there is more work needed to improve the basic understanding of forensic mental health in professionals who interact with the mentally offender on behalf of the courts. In 2023 the Noor Muqaddam case showed that lessons from Safia Bano seemed not to have been completely implemented. However, there has been some progress in this area and the need for legislative changes to add accountability in implementing the historical Safia Bano judgement.