Supreme Court orders medical evaluation of student seeking to switch IITs on mental health grounds

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to constitute a medical board to evaluate IIT Kharagpur student who sought a transfer to IIT Roorkee on mental health grounds.

A Bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan also directed IIT Roorkee to reserve one seat for the student, noting that the last date for admissions was July 17, 2026.

The Court observed that it would not be feasible to require the student to travel to IIT Kharagpur for the medical examination. The Court, therefore, directed that his medical evaluation be carried out at AIIMS, Delhi.

"We direct IIT Roorkee to keep one seat vacant subject to the result of this writ petition. The petitioner shall appear before the Director, AIIMS. AIIMS shall constitute a Medical Board, which shall submit its report to this Court," the Bench ordered.

The Court was dealing with a plea by a Bachelor of Architecture student at IIT Kharagpur, who has approached the Supreme Court seeking an inter-IIT transfer. The student has said he suffers from depression and requires repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) therapy, which is unavailable at Kharagpur.

He had initially sought migration to IIT Delhi. However, that request could not be considered because of differences in the Bachelor of Architecture curriculum. He has now sought transfer to IIT Roorkee.

Senior Advocate Shobha Gupta, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the student had been travelling to Chandigarh to undergo therapy and that similar treatment facilities were available near IIT Roorkee.

She also disputed IIT's claim that the petitioner had completed three years of study.

Gupta submitted that he had only completed his first year and was seeking admission to the second year.

Counsel appearing for IIT said the institute had full sympathy for the petitioner's condition but submitted that a medical board at IIT Kharagpur would first have to certify his ailment.

He further argued that there were differences in the Bachelor of Architecture curriculum at IIT Kharagpur and IIT Roorkee and that the latter had a higher admission cut-off.

Justice Nagarathna, however, questioned the relevance of the submission.

"He is meritorious and that is how he got a seat in IIT Kharagpur. It is not that he was not meritorious. The same merit must get transferred here," she observed.

The matter will next be heard on July 29.

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