Treat as representation plea for online 'mindfulness classes' for students: Delhi HC

Delhi High Court has asked Delhi government to treat as a representation a plea seeking directions to provide "online mindfulness classes" to all government and private school students to release stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses during the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

Delhi High Court has asked Delhi government to treat as a representation a plea seeking directions to provide "online mindfulness classes" to all government and private school students to release stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses during the coronavirus-induced lockdown. With this, a division bench of Justice JR Midha and Justice Brijesh Sethi on Tuesday disposed of the public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and State governments for providing online mindfulness classes for meditation, yoga, and relaxation to the students.

The High Court also directed the government to take decisions within four weeks from today and further communicate it to the petitioners within two weeks what decision has been taken on the same. The plea, moved by advocates Anshul Bajaj and Sonali Tiwary, submitted that the outbreak of coronavirus, which had led to a nationwide lockdown, has given rise to many mental health issues.

In the last hearing, the court had asked the petitioner to address the maintainability of the PIL. The plea said that a sense of confinement that has settled in people's minds, more particularly among students, is giving rise to a series of mental health issues.

The petitioners said that they had made a representation on May 27, 2020, to the respondent to provide mindfulness classes for students but nothing has been done for the same till date. It also said that anxiety, frustration, panic attacks, loss or sudden increase of appetite, insomnia, depression, mood swings, delusions, fear, and suicidal tendencies, have become quite common during the lockdown.

Students with pre-existing psychological issues are unable to receive proper therapy on time or have had to go off prescription medication worsening their condition, the plea said adding that many psychologists and experts have said that meditation, yoga, and exercise are necessities for a stress-free life and have benefits such as improved thought process, increase in IQ Level and EQ level and help in being alert and discard any negative thoughts. (ANI)

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