SC flags student suicide crisis

The Supreme Court of India recently said it was “deeply saddened and disturbed” by the rising number of student suicides in higher educational institutions (HEIs) and issued a comprehensive set of interim directions to address the crisis and correct institutional failures.

- FPJ News Service

The directions follow the Court’s March 24, 2025 order constituting a National Task Force (NTF) to examine mental health concerns and prevent student suicides in HEIs. The Task Force is chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice S. Ravindra Bhat.

The Court was hearing a petition filed by the parents of two students of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, who allegedly died by suicide due to caste-based discrimination and academic pressure. In its interim report, the NTF identified multiple causes of student distress, including entrenched social inequalities, intense academic pressure, ragging, financial stress and the large-scale privatisation of institutional spaces.

The Court noted that suicide is among the leading causes of death for young people in the 15-29 age group. Referring to data from the National Crime Records Bureau, it recorded that over 13,000 student suicides were reported in 2022, and observed that these figures likely represent only “the tip of a much larger iceberg of student distress”.

Noting that suicide is among the leading causes of death in the 15-29 age group, the Court cited National Crime Records Bureau data showing that over 13,000 student suicides were reported in 2022. It observed that these numbers likely represent “only the tip of a much larger iceberg of student distress”.