Student suicides: Continued loss of young lives reflect systemic failure, says SC

new delhi: the supreme court on friday said the continued loss of young lives by way of suicides reflected "a systemic failure" and asserted that the issue "cannot be ignored".a bench of justices vikram nath and sandeep mehta, which passed a slew of pan-india guidelines to deal with the issue, said the national crime records bureau (ncrb) statistics published in 2022 titled accidental deaths and suicides in india painted a "deeply distressing picture"."the continued loss of young lives, often due to preventable causes rooted in unattended psychological distress, academic overburden, social stigma, and institutional insensitivity, reflect a systemic failure that cannot be ignored," the court said.india recorded 1,70,924 suicide cases in 2022, of which 7.6 per cent—approximately 13,044—were student suicides. the bench noted that 2,248 of these deaths were attributed directly to failure in examinations.the ncrb data also revealed a rising trend in student suicides, increasing from 5,425 in 2001 to 13,044 in 2022.“considering the increasing number of suicides in educational institutions—including schools, coaching institutes, colleges, and training centres—we feel obliged to acknowledge and address the gravity of the mental health crisis afflicting students,” the court said.the bench was hearing an appeal against an andhra pradesh high court order that had rejected a plea seeking to transfer the investigation into the unnatural death of a 17-year-old neet aspirant in visakhapatnam to the cbi.stating that mental health is integral to the right to life under article 21 of the constitution, the court stressed the need for immediate interim safeguards, especially in cities like kota, jaipur, sikar, visakhapatnam, hyderabad, and delhi, where large numbers of students migrate for education.the court issued 15 guidelines, including:

• educational institutions must maintain optimal student-to-counsellor ratios.
• dedicated mentors or counsellors should be assigned to small student groups during exams and transitions.
• suicide helpline numbers, including tele-manas, must be prominently displayed in hostels, classrooms, and websites.
• staff must undergo biannual training in psychological first aid, self-harm response, and referral mechanisms.
• institutions must sensitively support students from vulnerable and marginalised communities (sc, st, obc, ews, lgbtq+, persons with disabilities, etc.).
• establish internal committees to address issues like sexual harassment and ragging.
• regular sensitisation programmes should be held for parents and guardians.
• mental health literacy and life skills should be integrated into student orientation and co-curricular activities.
• institutions should keep anonymised records of wellness interventions and prepare annual reports.
• examination systems must be reviewed periodically to reduce academic burden.
• career counselling must be provided to students and their parents.
• hostel and residential staff must take proactive steps to keep campuses free of harassment, bullying, and substance abuse.