Supreme Court orders appointment of man with bipolar disorder as judge

The SC bench relied upon the report from a medical board, which said there was nothing to indicate Bhavya Nain won't be able to discharge his responsibilities as a judicial officer.

File photo of the Supreme Court of India | PTI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has ordered immediate appointment of a bipolar man as a judicial officer in Delhi, with appropriate seniority.

A bench, headed by justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, on Monday held that there was no impediment in Bhavya Nain taking charge as a judicial officer in one of the district courts in the national capital and discharging his duties as a judge.

The bench, also including Justice M M Sundresh, relied upon the report from a medical board, which said there was nothing to indicate Nain will not be able to discharge his responsibilities as a judicial officer.

The bench had constituted the board on November 17.

Nain was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a mental health condition causing extreme mood swings including emotional highs and lows, eleven years ago, when he was 25.

According to the World Health Organization, the disorder is the sixth leading cause of disability worldwide.

Nain cleared the Delhi Judicial Service-2018 examination under the category of persons with disability (PwD).

His candidature, however, was rejected in May 2019 by the Delhi High Court administration on the grounds that he would not be able to effectively discharge his duties as a judicial officer because of his mental illness.