Today, On 20th September, The Supreme Court issued a notice regarding a plea seeking a CBI investigation into the suicides of Dalit students at IIT-Delhi. This comes after the Delhi High Court declined to register a first information report (FIR) in the case. The plea highlights concerns over alleged institutional discrimination and demands a thorough probe into the circumstances leading to the suicides.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice in response to an appeal challenging a Delhi High Court ruling that declined to file a criminal complaint regarding the suicides of two Dalit students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.
A Bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra requested replies from the Central and Delhi governments, the Delhi Police, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and IIT-Delhi in connection with the case.
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Earlier in January, the Delhi High Court denied a plea seeking the registration of a first information report (FIR) in the matter. However, the Court did advise Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to actively provide counselling for students, stressing that academic performance should not be regarded as the most important factor.
The parents of the deceased students alleged that their children were subjected to caste-based discrimination by IIT Delhi’s faculty and staff. They further claimed that faculty members were shielding the actual culprits and that the police were not conducting a thorough investigation.
According to the parents, the police, in collusion with IIT Delhi’s administration, intentionally delayed the investigation to systematically destroy crucial evidence in the case.
The petitioners requested the registration of a first information report (FIR) and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the matter.
In response, the Delhi Police informed the High Court that both students had been struggling academically, failing in several subjects, and likely took their own lives due to the pressure to improve their performance.
The High Court dismissed the petition, noting that the claims made by the petitioners could not be substantiated.
Advocates Mehmood Pracha, RHA Sikander, and Jatin Bhatt represented the petitioners, the families of the deceased, before the Supreme Court.