Abstract:
India has enacted the Mental Healthcare Act 2017 (MHCA) to safeguard the rights of persons with psychosocial disabilities, in line with its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Simultaneously, the government has launched ambitious digital governance initiatives including the National Tele Mental Health Programme (Tele-MANAS), the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM/ABDM), and the e-Sanjeevani telemedicine platform to expand access to mental health care. This paper critically examines MHCA 2017 and related laws under the CRPD framework, analyzes how digital health platforms transform service delivery, and identifies emerging legal, ethical and policy challenges (data privacy, accessibility, potential discrimination). The analysis uses academic, legal and official sources to ground its critique and recommendations
