Supreme Court orders CBI probe into NEET aspirant's death, issues pan-India mental health guidelines

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the suspicious death of a 17-year-old student and issued a set of binding mental health guidelines for all schools, colleges, coaching centers and hostels across the country [Sukdeb Saha v. State of Andhra Pradesh & Others].

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta raised concern over the alarming rise in student suicides across the country and reiterated that the right to mental health forms an integral part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

It added that India lacks a unified legal framework for student suicide prevention, and with rising cases in coaching hubs like Kota, Hyderabad, and Delhi, urgent interim safeguards are needed.

"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. Given the pressing nature of the crisis, particularly in cities like Kota, Jaipur, Sikar, Vishakhapatnam, Hyderabad, and Delhi (NCR), etc., where students migrate in large numbers for competitive examinations and face intense psychological pressure, immediate interim safeguards are the call of the day," Court noted

The Court was hearing a plea filed by the father of a deceased minor girl from West Bengal, who had enrolled at Aakash Byju’s Institute in Visakhapatnam to prepare for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). In July 2023, she was reported to have fallen from the third floor terrace of the hostel she was residing, and later succumbed to her injuries.

Her father alleged foul play, suppression of CCTV evidence, medical negligence and bias in the police investigation. Therefore, he had moved to Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking the transfer of the investigation to the CBI. However, the High Court declined his request, prompting him to approach the apex court.

The Court set aside the Andhra Pradesh High Court order and observed that education is meant to liberate rather than burden the learner. Its true success, it added, lies not in grades or rankings, but in the holistic growth of individuals.

The Court noted that contrary to these ideals, the present academic framework, especially in competitive examination systems, often places students under relentless psychological pressure. It added that the very essence of education now appears to have been distorted.

"Increasingly, education is perceived as a high-stakes race, a pressure-laden path toward narrowly defined goals of achievement, status, and economic security. The joy of learning has been replaced by anxiety over rankings, results, and relentless performance metrics. Students, especially those preparing for competitive examinations, are often caught in a web that rewards conformity over curiosity, output over understanding, and endurance over well-being," Court noted.

Citing rising student suicides, the Court invoked Articles 32 and 141 to issue binding guidelines effective until a legislative framework is enacted. The guidelines to educational institutions and coaching centres are summarised as follows:

• Adopt and implement a uniform mental health policy, drawing cues from the UMMEED Draft Guidelines, the MANODARPAN initiative and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. This policy shall be reviewed and updated annually and made publicly accessible on institutional websites and notice boards.

• Appoint/engage at least one qualified counsellor, psychologist.

• Ensure optimal student-to-counsellor ratios.

• Refrain from engaging in batch segregation based on academic performance, public shaming, or assignment of academic targets disproportionate to students’ capacities.

• Establish written protocols for immediate referral to mental health services, local hospitals and suicide prevention helplines. Suicide helpline numbers, including Tele-MANAS and other national services, shall be prominently displayed in hostels, classrooms, common areas, and on websites.

• All teaching and non-teaching staff shall undergo mandatory training at least twice a year, conducted by certified mental health professionals.

• Ensure that all teaching, non-teaching, and administrative staff are adequately trained to engage with students from vulnerable and marginalised backgrounds in a sensitive, inclusive and non-discriminatory manner.

• Establish robust, confidential and accessible mechanisms for the reporting, redressal and prevention of incidents involving sexual assault, harassment, ragging, and bullying on the basis of caste, class, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or ethnicity. Failure to take timely or adequate action in such cases, especially where such neglect contributes to a student’s self-harm or suicide, shall be treated as institutional culpability.

• Regularly organise sensitisation programmes for parents and guardians on student mental health. Sensitise the parents and guardians to avoid placing undue academic pressure, to recognise signs of psychological distress and to respond empathetically and supportively. Mental health literacy, emotional regulation, life skills education and awareness of institutional support services shall be integrated into student orientation programmes and co-curricular activities.

• Maintain anonymised records and prepare an annual report indicating the number of wellness interventions, student referrals, training sessions, and mental health-related activities.

• Prioritise extracurricular activities, including sports, arts and personality development initiatives. Examination patterns shall be periodically reviewed to reduce academic burden.

• Provide regular, structured career counselling services for students and their parents or guardians.

• Hostel owners, wardens and caretakers shall take proactive steps to ensure that campuses remain free from harassment, bullying, drugs and other harmful substances.

• Install tamper-proof ceiling fans or equivalent safety devices and restrict access to rooftops, balconies and other high-risk areas.

• All coaching hubs, including but not limited to Jaipur, Kota, Sikar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, and other cities where students migrate in large numbers for competitive examination preparation, shall implement heightened mental health protections and preventive measures.

The Court ordered all states and union territories shall, as far as practicable, notify rules within two months from the date of this judgment.

Further, it was ordered that district-level monitoring committee shall be constituted in each district under the chairpersonship of the District Magistrate or Collector, which shall oversee implementation, conduct inspections and receive complaints.

The Court further said that given the serious and ongoing concerns, the Union of India must file a compliance affidavit within 90 days from the date of the judgment.

Advocates Joydeb B Saha, S Ramamoorthy, S Senthil Elangovan, briefed by V Maheshwari & Co, appeared for the petitioner.

Additional Solicitor General Rajkumar Bhaskar Thakare along with Advocates Mukesh Kumar Maroria, Vivek Gupta, Rohit Khare, Padmesh Mishra, Merusagar Samantaray, Tanmay Mehta, Prerna Singh, Guntur Pramod Kumar, Dhruv Yadav, P Santhosh Kumar, P Venkatraju, Sravan Kumar Karanam, Y Raja Gopala Rao, B Mohan, Akshay Singh, Sanjana Jain Manasi Chatpalliwar, Pranav Proothi, Pulkit Agarwal, Sudhanshu Kaushesh, M Srinivas R Rao, Abid Ali Beeran P, Sarath S Janardanan, Saswat Adhyapak, Namita Kumari, Anand Varma, Apoorva Pandey, Kunal Mimani and Abhinav Rana appeared for the respondents.

If you or anyone else you know are facing mental health issues or having suicidal or self-harming thoughts, please access the helpline number given below:

iCall - 9152987821 (Health Helpline - Mon—Sat, 10 AM—8 PM. Languages: English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Assamese, Kashmiri.)

Aasra offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.

24x7 Helpline: 9820466726

[Read Judgment]