Soumitra Pathare is a consultant psychiatrist and the Director of the Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, Indian Law Society, Pune. He has provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for drafting India’s Mental Health Care Act 2017, which takes a rights-based approach to mental health care and served as a World Health Organization consultant assisting low and middle-income countries in drafting and implementing mental health legislation and policies. His special interests include mental health policy and legislation and service development.