Goa court allows plea for mental health check-up of start-up CEO Suchana Seth accused of killing her son

Panaji: A Goa court has allowed an application by the father of Suchana Seth, CEO of an Artificial Intelligence start-up who is accused of killing her four-year-old son while on a visit here, to get his daughter's mental health condition examined by a board of doctors. Seth's father had moved the 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 had opposed the plea, saying she did not 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, said after the court allowed the application on Monday, the police will have to produce Seth (39) before a medical board for a fresh examination of her mental condition.


"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 lawyer said.

The Goa police, investigating the case, had 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.

"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," the police told the court earlier.

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.