The alarming surge in student suicides at India’s most prestigious institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), AIIMS, and NITs, has prompted a serious intervention from the Supreme Court. Data reveals a grim reality: over 98 students have lost their lives since 2018, with IITs alone accounting for 39 of these tragedies.
To confront this crisis, the Supreme Court established a National Task Force, spearheaded by retired Justice S. Ravindra Bhat. This diverse group comprises experts from various fields—psychiatry, education, law, and social justice—alongside government officials. Their mission is to delve into the root causes of these deaths and propose comprehensive reforms for higher education institutions nationwide.
The Supreme Court is actively seeking answers as a student mental health crisis deepens across India’s top colleges.
As part of its crucial work, the task force initiated a nationwide survey, reaching out to students, faculty, parents, and administrators to gather precise and detailed insights into the factors contributing to student suicides. Despite multiple reminders, a disappointingly low number of institutions — only about 3,500 out of more than 60,000 higher education bodies — responded. This included 17 IITs, 15 IIMs, 16 AIIMS, and 24 NITs. By September 2025, over 100,000 responses had been collected, yet many institutions remained slow to cooperate.
The Supreme Court has issued a stark warning: institutions that fail to engage with this vital effort could face legal repercussions and significant damage to their reputations. Regulatory bodies such as AICTE and the Bar Council have been mandated to ensure strict compliance with these directives.
A Disturbing Rise in Student Suicides Across India
The statistics paint a grim picture. The 2025 report from the National Crime Records Bureau indicates a 65% increase in student suicides, rising from 8,423 in 2013 to 13,892 in 2023. Students now tragically account for 8.1% of all suicides, up from 6.2% a decade earlier. The data reveals that in 2023, 7,330 males, 6,559 females, and three transgender individuals died by suicide. Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu recorded the highest numbers. While most cases involved students up to Class 10, the issue extends to graduate-level students, highlighting a pervasive problem.
Unseen Burdens: Pressures Behind Suicides in Elite Institutions
Students in elite institutions often bear an immense and crushing burden. A complex interplay of intense academic pressures, financial worries, instances of discrimination, ragging, and the persistent stigma surrounding mental health creates an incredibly challenging environment. Despite their reputation for academic excellence, these colleges frequently fall short in providing adequate emotional and psychological support for their students.
These tragic suicides are a direct consequence of both overwhelming academic and profound social pressures. The relentless pursuit of high expectations and fierce competition pushes many young minds beyond their breaking point.
A significant number of students shy away from seeking help, often turning to detrimental coping mechanisms like substance abuse. Social exclusion and specific campus cultures further amplify this stress, particularly when institutions inadvertently uphold upper-caste or city-centric norms, leaving many students feeling isolated and unsupported.
At a fundamental level, colleges have not done enough to rectify systemic inequalities or cultivate genuinely safe and nurturing spaces for all students. This dangerous combination of intense stress, insufficient mental health resources, pervasive discrimination, and administrative apathy has culminated in a profound crisis where human lives are tragically at risk. It is unequivocally clear that urgent reforms in institutional policies and campus culture are desperately needed.
Institutional Efforts and Existing Gaps
The Supreme Court-appointed task force launched multilingual online surveys, accessible via ntf.education.gov.in, for students, faculty, parents, and administrators. By September 2025, over 100,000 responses had been gathered, complemented by on-site visits across 13 states, which provided further invaluable insights.
While some colleges have started offering mental health support, these initiatives are inconsistent. Data obtained through RTI requests by Indian Express shows that major IITs, including Kanpur, Roorkee, Delhi, and Bombay, have seen an increase in counseling sessions since the pandemic. At IIT Kanpur, for instance, the number of sessions doubled to 4,113 in 2024, with over 1,600 students actively seeking help. Officials suggest this rise indicates both the lasting impact of the pandemic and a positive shift in attitudes, with more students feeling empowered to reach out for support.
However, despite these encouraging signs, such efforts lack uniformity. Many students still struggle to access timely and adequate support. Experts emphasize that piecemeal measures are insufficient and cannot replace fundamental, systemic changes. The absence of clear institutional accountability continues to leave vulnerable students at unacceptable risk.
Supreme Court Mandates Policy Reforms
In July 2025, the Supreme Court issued 15 crucial guidelines applicable to all educational institutions. These guidelines include:
- Mandatory trained counselors in institutions enrolling 100 or more students.
- Regular mental health training for all staff and faculty.
- Establishment of confidential grievance committees.
- Implementation of robust safety protocols to prevent self-harm.
- A ban on academic practices that exacerbate stress, such as marks-based segregation.
- Active promotion of mental health literacy, peer support networks, and access to national helpline services like Tele-MANAS.
- Public disclosure of mental health policies and annual policy reviews.
These mandates aim to embed mental health as a core responsibility within colleges, moving beyond superficial fixes to demand genuine accountability and sustained commitment.
Fostering Institutional Accountability
The escalating number of suicides unequivocally points to a systemic failure. High academic standards too often coexist with alarmingly weak psychological support systems, disproportionately affecting marginalized students. The National Task Force is poised to recommend comprehensive policies designed to cultivate inclusive academic environments, actively reduce mental health stigma, and robustly protect student well-being.
Colleges can significantly improve student welfare by:
- Expanding counseling services and diligently maintaining optimal counselor-student ratios.
- Integrating mental health literacy into the curriculum from the foundational years.
- Strengthening peer support programs and implementing anonymous reporting mechanisms.
- Conducting regular, thorough checks on student well-being and institutional responsiveness.
- Proactively monitoring students to identify and support those at risk early.
Building a Safer Future for Students
The allure of prestige and a strong reputation offers no shield against the profound struggles of mental health. With student suicides now tragically surpassing other causes of death in certain age demographics, the Supreme Court’s intervention underscores a critical truth: mental health can no longer be an afterthought; it must be intrinsically woven into the very fabric of education.
While some initiatives are underway, the sheer scale of this crisis demands more profound and widespread reforms. Campuses require systemic transformation, unequivocal accountability, and cultures that actively champion and support every student. These judicial directives, coupled with the task force’s recommendations and enforceable regulations, provide a beacon of hope—a path forward from merely reacting to tragedies towards genuinely safeguarding the lives and dignity of all students.