'Larger systemic malaise threatening youth': Supreme Court issues guidelines to prevent student suicides

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued 15-point guidelines to be notified as law by all the states, after finding a legislative and regulatory vacuum in the country in respect of a unified, enforceable framework for suicide prevention of students in educational institutions, and coaching centres.

Holding that mental health is an integral component of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said, in the recent past, multiple reports have emerged of student suicides in premier educational institutions and, more particularly, coaching centres, pointing to a pattern of despair that demands collective introspection.

The court said these young individuals, often far away from home, isolated in demanding academic environments, find themselves without adequate emotional or institutional support. The culture of silence around mental health, coupled with insufficient safeguards in educational institutions, exacerbates their vulnerability.

The court sought to address a "larger systemic malaise that threaten future of the young generation", even though a National Task Force has been set up earlier.

Maintaining that suicide prevention is not merely a policy objective but a binding obligation flowing from the right to life, health, and human dignity, the bench directed that all educational institutions with 100 or more enrolled students would appoint or engage at least one qualified counsellor, psychologist, or social worker with demonstrable training in child and adolescent mental health.

The court ordered that institutions with fewer students should establish formal referral linkages with external mental health professionals.

It directed that all coaching hubs, including but not limited to Jaipur, Kota, Sikar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, and other cities where students migrate in large numbers for competitive examination preparation, should implement heightened mental health protections and preventive measures.

The court issued its directions while allowing a plea by Sukdeb Saha, a resident of West Bengal, for the CBI probe into unnatural death of his 17-year-old daughter, NEET student on July 15, 2023 after sustaining injuries at a hostel, recommended at the instance of a coaching centre at Vishakhapatnam.

It said the glaring inconsistencies in the medical records, the autopsy report indicating suspicious

contents of stomach despite the deceased allegedly being on ventilatory support, the unexplained lapses in seizure and preservation of critical forensic evidence, and the contradictory statements by authorities, collectively highlighted a case of exceptional complexity and concern.

"The present case must not be viewed in isolation, but rather in the context of this deepening crisis," the bench said.

The court felt the gravity of the mental health crisis afflicting students in educational institutions across the country and the continued loss of young lives, often due to preventable causes rooted in unattended psychological distress, academic overburden, social stigma, and institutional insensitivity, reflected a systemic failure that cannot be ignored.

"The joy of learning has been replaced by anxiety over rankings, results, and relentless performance metrics. Students, especially those preparing for competitive examinations, are often caught in a web that rewards conformity over curiosity, output over understanding, and endurance over well-being," the bench said.

The bench noted the apex court recently directed the constitution of a National Task Force on Mental Health Concerns of Students and the Prevention of Suicides in Higher Educational Institutions, under the chairpersonship of Justice (Retd) Ravindra Bhat.

"While its final report is awaited, and the framework is under preparation, the immediacy of the crisis demands immediate institutional safeguards to prevent further loss of life and to establish accountability criterion. In such a context, the court is not only empowered but constitutionally obligated to step in," the bench said.

The court directed its guidelines would remain in force and be binding until such time as appropriate legislation or regulatory frameworks are enacted by the competent authority.

Among the guidelines are that all educational institutions should adopt and implement a uniform mental health policy, drawing cues from the UMMEED Draft Guidelines, the MANODARPAN initiative, and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. They should refrain from engaging in batch segregation based on academic performance, public shaming, or assignment of academic targets disproportionate to students’ capacities.

The institutions have to establish written protocols for immediate referral to mental health services, and teaching and non-teaching staff to undergo mandatory training at least twice a year, by certified mental health professionals, on psychological first-aid, identification of warning signs, response to self-harm, and referral mechanisms.

The institutions have to establish robust, confidential, and accessible mechanisms for the reporting, redressal, and prevention of incidents involving sexual assault, harassment, ragging, and bullying on the basis of caste, class, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or ethnicity. They should regularly organise sensitisation programmes (physical and/or online) for parents and guardians on mental health and maintain anonymised records and prepare an annual report indicating the number of wellness interventions, student referrals, training sessions, and mental health-related activities.

They should also prioritise extracurricular activities, including sports, arts, and personality development initiatives and provide regular, structured career counselling services for students and their parents or guardians to reduce unrealistic academic pressure, promote awareness of diverse academic and professional pathways

Those managing such educational centres have to ensure campuses remain free from harassment, bullying, drugs, and other harmful substances.

The court also directed the institutions to install tamper-proof ceiling fans or equivalent safety devices, and to restrict access to rooftops, balconies, and other high-risk areas, in order to deter impulsive acts of self-harm.

The bench said these guidelines would apply to all educational institutions across India, including public and private schools, colleges, universities, training centres, coaching institutes, residential academies, and hostels, irrespective of their affiliation.

"We may clarify that these guidelines are not in supersession but in parallel to the ongoing work of the National Task Force on Mental Health Concerns of Students and are being issued to provide an interim protective architecture in the interregnum," the bench said.

The court said the guidelines would be complementary to the ongoing work of the National Task Force and would inform and assist it in the development of a more comprehensive and inclusive framework.

It directed all States and Union Territories to notify rules within two months, mandating registration, student protection norms, and grievance redressal mechanisms for all private coaching centres.

The court also ordered for setting up a district-level monitoring committee under the chairpersonship of the District Magistrate or Collector.

It directed the Union government to file a compliance affidavit within 90 days detailing the steps taken to implement the guidelines.