SC Forms National Task Force on Student Suicides, Directs FIR in IIT Delhi Cases
Supreme Court directs Delhi Police to register FIR, probe suicides of two SC/ST students, and sets up a task force to address mental health in educational institutions
New Delhi: Concerned by a rise in student suicides across higher educational institutions, the Supreme Court on Monday constituted a National Task Force (NTF) to address mental health challenges on campuses and recommend preventive measures. The court also ordered the Delhi Police to register an FIR in connection with two student suicides at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in 2023.
A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan observed that repeated student suicides highlight the shortcomings of existing frameworks in tackling mental health issues. The NTF, to be chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice S. Ravindra Bhat, will include ex-officio members from higher education, social justice and empowerment, legal affairs, and the ministry of women and child development. It has the authority to conduct surprise inspections of institutions, analyse root causes, and propose solutions to improve student well-being.
The Supreme Court’s order comes following an appeal by the parents of two IIT Delhi students — both belonging to Scheduled Castes — who died by suicide under suspicious circumstances in July and September 2023. They alleged that police refused to register an FIR and that their children were victims of caste-based discrimination. Directing the Delhi Police to file the FIR without delay, the court stated that institutions like IIT Delhi cannot be considered above scrutiny.
The bench cited Union government data showing 98 student suicides in higher educational institutions since 2018, including 39 from IITs and 25 from NITs, attributing many tragedies to ragging, academic pressure, caste-based discrimination, and other stressors. It emphasised the need for timely and transparent investigations into suspicious deaths, pointing out that Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure obligates police to ascertain the cause of death in unnatural cases and register an FIR if cognisable offences are involved.
Under the court’s directive, the NTF must submit an interim report within four months and a final report within eight months, suggesting new safeguards and improvements in mental health support for students across the country.