SC issues nationwide norms amid rising student suicides

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

The Supreme Court on Friday issued sweeping nationwide guidelines mandating mental health safeguards, mandatory counsellors, and regulatory frameworks for all educational institutions across India, responding to an alarming rise in student suicides. The Supreme Court ruling delivered by justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta covers private coaching centres, schools, colleges, universities, training academies, and hostels, describing the situation as a 'systemic failure that cannot be ignored.' (HT)
The ruling by justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta covers private coaching centres, schools, colleges, universities, training academies, and hostels, describing the situation as a 'systemic failure that cannot be ignored.'
The judgment held that the gravity of the crisis warranted constitutional intervention, as it drew upon powers under Article 32 of the Constitution to enforce fundamental rights, and treating its pronouncement as the law of the land under Article 141.
The ruling emerged from the case of a 17-year-old NEET aspirant, identified as Ms X, who died at a hostel while preparing for medical entrance examinations at Aakash Byju's Institute in Visakhapatnam on July 14, 2023. The court has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to take over the probe after the girl's father challenged an Andhra Pradesh High Court order of February 14, 2024, that had dismissed his plea for CBI investigation.
The bench noted such distress among young people was 'emblematic of a deeper, structural malaise that afflicts India's educational ecosystem,' citing 'deeply distressing' National Crime Records Bureau data showing India recorded 170,924 suicide cases in 2022, of which 7.6% — approximately 13,044 — were student suicides. Of these, 2,248 deaths were attributed directly to examination failures.
'These figures, taken in conjunction with emerging patterns of distress in educational institutions, coaching centres, and residential educational institutions, point to a systemic failure in addressing students' emotional and mental health needs,' the court observed.
The guidelines mandate that all educational institutions adopt uniform mental health policies based on existing government initiatives including UMMEED draft guidelines, the MANODARPAN mental health programme, and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. These policies must be publicly available and updated annually.
'There remains a legislative and regulatory vacuum in the country with respect to a unified, enforceable framework for suicide prevention of students in educational institutions, coaching centres, and student-centric environments,' it noted to justify its directions.
Institutions with more than 100 students must appoint at least one qualified mental health professional — a psychologist, counsellor, or social worker. Smaller institutions must establish formal referral linkages with external mental health experts. To ensure consistent support, mentors or counsellors must be assigned to smaller groups of students, especially during examination periods and transition phases.
The court specifically targeted coaching institutes, directing them to discourage batch segregation based on academic performance, public shaming, and unrealistic academic targets. Helpline numbers, including Tele-MANAS suicide prevention services, must be prominently displayed in hostels, classrooms, and common spaces.
All teaching and non-teaching staff must undergo mandatory training at least twice yearly in identifying warning signs, psychological first aid, and referral protocols. Training must include sensitive engagement with vulnerable groups: students from SC, ST, OBC, and EWS categories, LGBTQ+ communities, students with disabilities, and those experiencing trauma or bereavement.
Institutions must establish confidential mechanisms for reporting sexual assault, ragging, and harassment based on caste, gender, disability, religion, or sexual orientation, with immediate psycho-social support access. The court warned that failure to act promptly in cases leading to self-harm or suicide would constitute 'institutional culpability' with legal consequences.
The court directed that parents and guardians be actively involved through regular sensitisation sessions designed to reduce undue academic pressure and promote supportive home environments. Institutions must integrate mental health literacy and life skills into orientation programmes and extracurricular activities.
To reduce intense academic pressure, institutions must prioritise extracurricular development, periodically review examination formats, and broaden success definitions beyond ranks and test scores. Structured, inclusive career counselling must be provided to both students and parents to enable interest-based choices and reduce pressure towards conventional career paths.
For residential facilities, enhanced physical safety measures are required, including tamper-proof ceiling fans and restricted rooftop access to deter impulsive self-harm acts. Major coaching hubs — Kota, Jaipur, Sikar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Mumbai — where students migrate in large numbers, were singled out for heightened preventive and counselling infrastructure.
States and Union territories have two months to notify rules mandating registration and student protection norms for private coaching centres. District-level monitoring committees under District Magistrates will oversee implementation, conduct inspections, and receive complaints.
The Union government has 90 days to file a compliance affidavit detailing implementation steps, regulatory rule-making status for coaching centres, coordination mechanisms with state governments, and timelines for the National Task Force's final report.
Despite existing Centre initiatives, the court identified a 'legislative and regulatory vacuum in the country with respect to a unified, enforceable framework for suicide prevention of students in educational institutions, coaching centres, and student-centric environments,' necessitating immediate judicial intervention under India's constitutional and international mental health commitments.
The next hearing is scheduled for October 27.