Expressing deep concern over the rising number of student suicides in India’s premier educational institutions, the Supreme Court on Monday directed police departments in Delhi, West Bengal, and Rajasthan to file status reports on the ongoing investigations into the recent deaths of students from IIT-Delhi, IIT-Kharagpur, and a NEET aspirant in Kota.
A bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan issued the directions while hearing a matter concerning student suicides in higher educational institutions. The court also made the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) a party in the proceedings, following a request from amicus curiae and senior advocate Aparna Bhatt for central assistance in addressing the issue.
The bench asked the Delhi Police to update the court on the progress of the investigations into the deaths of Ayush Ashna and Anil Kumar—two IIT-Delhi students who were found dead in their hostel rooms on July 8 and September 1, 2023, respectively. The FIRs in these cases were registered following a Supreme Court order dated March 24, 2024.
“We want to see what progress has been made in the investigation. You must tell us what has been done after the FIRs were registered,” the bench told the Delhi government counsel.
Similarly, the West Bengal Police was directed to submit a report on the suicide of an IIT-Kharagpur student, who died on May 4 this year. An FIR in the case was filed on May 8.
The court also sought a status report from the Rajasthan Police on the case of a NEET aspirant who was found hanging in her room in Kota. The student had been living with her parents in the city, which has gained notoriety for its intense coaching culture and a disturbing spike in student suicides.
On May 23, the apex court had pulled up the Rajasthan government, calling the situation in Kota “serious” after it was revealed that 14 students had died by suicide in the city in 2025 alone.
The court’s actions follow its landmark March 24 judgment, in which it formed a National Task Force (NTF) to address the mental health challenges faced by students. The NTF, chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Justice S. Ravindra Bhat, has been tasked with identifying causes behind student suicides, evaluating existing safeguards, and recommending comprehensive measures for prevention. It is also empowered to conduct surprise inspections at higher educational institutions.
The court’s intervention came in response to an appeal filed by the parents of the two deceased IIT-Delhi students against a January 2024 Delhi High Court decision that refused to order FIRs into the deaths. The parents have alleged that their sons, both belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, faced caste-based discrimination and were possibly murdered.
Referring to alarming statistics from 2023, the bench noted that 98 students have died by suicide in higher education institutions since 2018, including 39 from IITs, 25 from NITs, 25 from central universities, 4 from IIMs, 3 from IISERs, and 2 from IIITs.
The matter has been listed for the next hearing on July 21.
