Representative image of an IIT campus.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said the recurring instances of students ending their lives in higher educational institutions, including the private ones, serve as a grim reminder of the inadequacy and ineffectiveness of the existing legal and institutional framework in addressing issues on campuses.
The top court constituted a National Task Force headed by former judge of the top court, Justice S Ravindra Bhat to address the mental health concerns of students and prevent suicides in such institutions.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said, "It is high time we take cognisance of this serious issue and formulate comprehensive and effective guidelines to address and mitigate the underlying causes contributing to such distress among students".
The court said the "suicide epidemic" in educational institutions can be attributed to a plethora of factors including but not limited to academic pressure, caste-based discrimination, financial stress, and sexual harassment, with eminent institutions like the IITs and NITs reporting high rates linked to exam failures.
The court ordered Delhi police to register FIR in case of death of Ayush Ashna and Anil Kumar, on July 8, 2023 and September 1, 2023 respectively, as their parents alleged both the aspiring engineers were murdered, having faced caste-based discrimination at IIT Delhi here.
Allowing a plea against the refusal by the Delhi High Court to consider the plea, the bench said, "Even if the police was of the view that there was no element of truth in what had been alleged, it could have said so only after registering an FIR and conducting an investigation. We say so because this is the law."
In any unfortunate incident, such as a suicide occurring on campus, it becomes an unequivocal duty of the college authorities to promptly lodge an FIR. It is equally incumbent upon the police to act with diligence and responsibility by registering the FIR without refusal or delay, the court said.
"This litigation is an eye-opener not just for the police but also for the parents," the bench said.
Dealing with the larger issue, the bench said these tragedies underscored the urgent need for a more robust, comprehensive, and responsive mechanism to address the various factors which compel certain students to resort to taking their own lives.
The court said the relentless pressure to perform in a purely score-based education system, coupled with the extreme competition for limited seats in premier educational institutions, placed a terrifying burden on the students’ mental health.
"We are of the firm view that universities must acknowledge their role not just as centres of learning but as institutions responsible for the well-being and holistic development of their students," the bench said, in its 89-page judgment.
The court said the nation has already suffered the tragic loss of numerous students – young individuals with immense potential who could have gone on to become successful professionals. However, due to the absence of adequate institutional support, they were driven to take the extreme step of ending their own lives.
These distressing incidents not only highlight systemic failures but also expose a severe lack of institutional empathy and accountability, it said.
"We must take collective responsibility to ensure that no more lives are lost due to apathy or indifference. It is imperative for institutions to have a culture of sensitivity and proactive intervention so that every student feels safe, supported, and empowered to pursue their aspirations without fear or discrimination," the bench said.
The task force would also consist of Dr Alok Sarin, psychiatrist, Prof Mary E John, Arman Ali, Prof Rajendar Kachroo, Dr Aqsa Shaikh, Dr Seema Mehrotra, Prof Virginius Xaxa, Dr Nidhi S Sabharwal, and senior advocate Aparna Bhat. It has also been allowed to make a surprise check on institutions.
Secretaries of the departments of higher education, department of social justice and empowerment, Ministry of women and child development and department of legal affairs have been made ex-officio members of the task force.
The task force was asked to prepare a comprehensive report that includes, identification of the predominant causes which lead to commission of suicides by students: an examination of the various causes which lead to student suicides in higher educational iInstitutions, including but not limited to ragging, caste-based discrimination, gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, academic pressure, financial burden, mental health related stigma, discrimination based on ethnicity, tribal identity, disability, sexual orientation, political views, religious belief or any other grounds.
The court directed the Chief Secretaries of all the States and Union Territories to nominate a high ranking officer, not below the rank of Joint Secretary in the Department of Higher Education to act as the nodal officer.
It also directed the task force to give an interim report within a period of four months and final report and the final report preferably within eight months.
According to the data, 98 students died by suicide in higher educational institutes since 2018, of which 39 were from IITs, 25 from NITs, 25 from central universities, four from IIMs, three from IISERs and two from IIITs, the court noted.
A separate bench is examining the issue of caste-based discrimination in educational institutions in the case of 'Abeda Salim Tadvi & Anr Vs Union of India & Ors'. On the court's nudge, the UGC has published the draft University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2025 to ensure a safe, inclusive, and equitable learning environment for all students, faculty members, and staff by preventing any form of discrimination based on religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth within higher educational institutions.