Section 84 IPC - Insanity Plea: A Legal Fiction

Okay ok, listen, I know it's 2am, I'm not sleeping, and my brain's mush, but let's talk about Section 84 IPC. It's the insanity plea, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. So, basically, if you're convicted of a crime but your lawyer can prove you were insane at the time of the crime (yes, that's a mouthful), the court can acquit you or commute your sentence. Sounds good, right? But here's the thing - it never works in practice. The courts have consistently interpreted this section in a very narrow way. I mean, you need to be severely mentally ill, like, completely disconnected from reality, and even then, it's a tough sell. And don't even get me started on the burden of proof.