Section 11 - Mental Healthcare Act, 2017

11. Power to review, alter, modify or cancel advance directive.-

(1) Where a mental health professional or a relative or a care-giver of a person desires not to follow an advance directive while treating a person with mental illness, such mental health professional or the relative or the care-giver of the person shall make an application to the concerned Board to review, alter, modify or cancel the advance directive.

(2) Upon receipt of the application under sub-section (1), the Board shall, after giving an opportunity of hearing to all concerned parties (including the person whose advance directive is in question), either uphold, modify, alter or cancel the advance directive after taking into consideration the following, namely:-

(a) whether the advance directive was made by the person out of his own free will and free from force, undue influence or coercion; or

(b) whether the person intended the advance directive to apply to the present circumstances, which may be different from those anticipated; or

(c) whether the person was sufficiently well informed to make the decision; or

(d) whether the person had capacity to make decisions relating to his mental healthcare or treatment when such advanced directive was made; or

(e) whether the content of the advance directive is contrary to other laws or constitutional provisions.

(3) The person writing the advance directive and his nominated representative shall have a duty to ensure that the medical officer in charge of a mental health establishment or a medical practitioner or a mental health professional, as the case may be, has access to the advance directive when required.

(4) The legal guardian shall have right to make an advance directive in writing in respect of a minor and all the provisions relating to advance directive, mutatis mutandis, shall apply to such minor till such time he attains majority.