The task force will include top government officials from the departments of higher education, social justice, women and child development, and legal affairs.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has taken a serious step to stop student suicides in educational institutions. On Monday, the court set up a special task force to improve student safety on campuses.
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This decision was made after the court noticed a rise in student suicides due to ragging, caste discrimination, sexual harassment, and other serious issues in college hostels.
A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan pointed out that these student deaths are not random cases.
The judges said, “We deem it necessary to discuss the pattern of students’ suicide… What disturbs us even more is that…[they] are not isolated incidents…”
The court has assigned former Supreme Court judge S Ravindra Bhat to lead the task force. The committee must submit a detailed report within four months. The report will identify the reasons behind student suicides and suggest measures to stop them.
The task force will include top government officials from the departments of higher education, social justice, women and child development, and legal affairs.
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The case came to court after the parents of two students from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) filed a petition. Their children allegedly died by suicide in their hostel in 2023. The parents claimed that their children faced harassment on campus and demanded a proper investigation.
The police had closed the case after conducting an inquest, but the Supreme Court criticized this move.
The judges said, “If there are allegations and parents feel children were harassed, it was the duty of the police to register [a] FIR [First Information Report]. To close the proceedings on the basis of inquest proceedings was not enough.”
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The court further explained that an inquest report only determines the cause of death. It does not investigate if someone was responsible.
The families of Ayush Ashna and Anil Kumar alleged caste-based discrimination and foul play in their deaths at IIT Delhi. Ayush, a B.Tech (Mathematics and Computing) student, had repeatedly complained of bias from hostel mates and faculty.
His father claimed that Ayush was deliberately failed in subjects and later found hanging in his hostel room under suspicious circumstances. Similarly, Anil Kumar’s brother, Amit Kumar, reported that Anil faced casteist remarks from professors and that bloodstains in his hostel room suggested foul play.
The Court criticized the police for only recording statements of other SC/ST students at IIT Delhi, who denied any caste-based discrimination, without conducting a thorough investigation under Section 174 CrPC. It emphasized that FIR registration under Section 154 CrPC is mandatory when a cognizable offense is disclosed, and no preliminary inquiry should be conducted in such cases. The Bench ruled that failure to register an FIR warranted action against the responsible officers.
The Court also stressed that educational institutions bear the responsibility for student safety and well-being. In cases of student suicides on campus, it is their legal and moral duty to promptly lodge an FIR, ensuring transparency, accountability, and justice.
While ordering the registration of an FIR, the Court also addressed the alarming pattern of student suicides in higher educational institutions, citing data from the Union Minister of State for Education. Between 2018 and 2023, 98 student suicides were reported from institutions such as IITs (39), NITs (25), central universities (25), IIMs (4), IISERs (3), and IIITs (2).
The Court expressed concern over systemic failures, institutional neglect, and lack of accountability in addressing issues like academic pressure, ragging, caste-based discrimination, and sexual harassment. It stressed the urgent need for a robust mechanism to prevent student suicides and protect mental health.
Case Title: Amit Kumar & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors.
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