India's Supreme Court Launches Task Force to Address Rising Student Suicides

The court mandates a comprehensive investigation into systemic issues like caste-based discrimination and academic pressure, with interim findings due by July 2025.

The Supreme Court of India has constituted a National Task Force (NTF) to investigate the causes of student suicides in higher education institutions and recommend preventive measures.
The task force, chaired by former Justice S Ravindra Bhat, will focus on systemic issues such as caste-based discrimination, academic stress, and harassment.
Delhi Police has been ordered to reopen and thoroughly investigate the 2023 suicides of two IIT-Delhi students, overturning an earlier case closure.
The NTF has been empowered to conduct inspections of educational institutions and will submit an interim report within four months and a final report within eight months.
The court emphasized the urgent need for educational institutions to prioritize student mental health, citing alarming statistics of suicides, particularly among marginalized communities.