Supreme Court forms national task force to address student suicides

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday constituted a National Task Force (NTF) to address the growing mental health concerns among students and prevent suicides in higher education institutions.

A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan directed the Delhi Police to register an FIR based on complaints from the families of two students who died by suicide while studying at IIT Delhi in 2023.

The court noted “disturbing patterns” in student suicides across educational institutions and called for a more effective and accountable mechanism to address underlying causes.

“The repeated incidents of student suicides highlight the failure of the existing legal and institutional framework to address mental health concerns on campuses,” the court stated.

Former Supreme Court judge Justice S Ravindra Bhat has been appointed as the chairperson of the NTF.

Secretaries from the ministries of women and child development, higher education, social justice and empowerment, and legal affairs will serve as its members.

The NTF has been tasked with identifying the primary causes of student suicides, analyzing existing policies, and recommending measures to enhance student support and security.