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Mint
2 days ago
- Mint
Supreme Court acknowledges ‘mental health crisis in educational institutions', calls student suicides ‘systemic failure'
The Supreme Court on Friday described the ongoing loss of young lives to suicide as a 'systemic failure' that must not be overlooked. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued a series of nationwide directives aimed at addressing the crisis. Citing the 2022 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report titled 'Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India', the Court said the data reveals a 'deeply distressing picture' of the mental health landscape among youth, according to a report by PTI. "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," it said. India recorded 1,70,924 reported suicide cases in 2022, of which 7.6 per cent, approximately 13,044, were student suicides. The bench said notably, 2,248 of these deaths were attributed directly to failure in examinations. The NCRB data further reflected the suicides among students in the last two decades, increasing from 5,425 in 2001 to 13,044 in 2022. " of an increasing number of suicides in educational institutions, inter alia, including schools, coaching institutes, colleges, and training centres, we feel obliged to acknowledge and address the gravity of the mental health crisis afflicting students in educational institutions across the country," the bench said. The bench was acting on an appeal against an Andhra Pradesh High Court order rejecting the plea to transfer the investigation into the unnatural death of a 17-year-old National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test aspirant, preparing in Vishakhapatnam, to the CBI. The top court said the NCRB data revealed a distressing pattern of rising student suicides. It said mental health was an integral component of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. The bench said given the pressing nature of the crisis, particularly in cities like Kota, Jaipur, Sikar, Vishakhapatnam, Hyderabad, and Delhi, where students migrate in large numbers, immediate interim safeguards are the call of the day. It issued 15 guidelines, which included that all educational institutions shall ensure optimal student-to-counsellor ratios. "Dedicated mentors or counsellors shall be assigned to smaller batches of students, especially during examination periods and academic transitions, to provide consistent, informal, and confidential support," it said. The bench said all educational institutions shall establish written protocols for immediate referral to mental health services, local hospitals, and suicide prevention helplines. "Suicide helpline numbers, including Tele-MANAS and other national services, shall be prominently displayed in hostels, classrooms, common areas, and on websites in large and legible print," it said. It said all teaching and non-teaching staff shall undergo mandatory training at least twice a year, conducted by certified mental health professionals, on psychological first-aid, identification of warning signs, response to self-harm, and referral mechanisms. The bench said all educational institutions shall ensure that all staffs are adequately trained to engage with students from vulnerable and marginalised backgrounds in a sensitive, inclusive, and non-discriminatory manner. "This shall include, but not be limited to, students belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), LGBTQ communities, students with disabilities, those in out-of-home care, and students affected by bereavement, trauma, or prior suicide attempts, or intersecting form of marginalisation," it said. The bench said every such institution shall constitute an internal committee or designated authority empowered to take immediate action on complaints about sexual harrasment, ragging and others and provide psycho-social support to victims. It said all educational Institutions shall regularly organise sensitisation programmes (physical or online) for parents and guardians on student mental health. It said mental health literacy, emotional regulation, life skills education and awareness of institutional support services shall be integrated into student orientation programmes and co-curricular activities. "All educational institutions shall maintain anonymised records and prepare an annual report indicating the number of wellness interventions, student referrals, training sessions, and mental health-related activities," the bench said. It said examination patterns shall be periodically reviewed to reduce academic burden and to cultivate a broader sense of identity among students beyond test scores and ranks. It said all educational institutions, including coaching centres and training institutes, shall provide regular, structured career counselling services for students and their parents or guardians. "All residential-based educational institutions, including hostel owners, wardens and caretakers, shall take proactive steps to ensure that campuses remain free from harassment, bullying, drugs....," the bench said. It asked the Centre to file a compliance affidavit before the court within 90 days. The continued loss of young a systemic failure that cannot be ignored. 'The affidavit shall also indicate the expected timeline for the completion of the report and recommendations of the National Task Force on mental health concerns of students,' it said.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
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 said the issue "cannot be ignored". Student suicides: Continued loss of young lives reflect systemic failure, says SC 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 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," it said. India recorded 1,70,924 reported suicide cases in 2022, of which 7.6 per cent, approximately 13,044, were student suicides. The bench said notably, 2,248 of these deaths were attributed directly to failure in examinations. The NCRB data further reflected the suicides among students in the last two decades increasing from 5,425 in 2001 to 13,044 in 2022. " of an increasing number of suicides in educational institutions, inter alia, including schools, coaching institutes, colleges, and training centres, we feel obliged to acknowledge and address the gravity of the mental health crisis afflicting students in educational institutions across the country," the bench said. The bench was acting on an appeal against an Andhra Pradesh High Court order rejecting the plea to transfer the investigation into the unnatural death of a 17-year-old National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test aspirant, preparing in Vishakhapatnam, to the CBI. The top court said the NCRB data revealed a distressing pattern of rising student suicides. It said mental health was an integral component of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. The bench said given the pressing nature of the crisis, particularly in cities like Kota, Jaipur, Sikar, Vishakhapatnam, Hyderabad, and Delhi, where students migrate in large numbers, immediate interim safeguards are the call of the day. It issued 15 guidelines, which included that all educational institutions shall ensure optimal student-to-counsellor ratios. "Dedicated mentors or counsellors shall be assigned to smaller batches of students, especially during examination periods and academic transitions, to provide consistent, informal, and confidential support," it said. The bench said all educational institutions shall establish written protocols for immediate referral to mental health services, local hospitals, and suicide prevention helplines. "Suicide helpline numbers, including Tele-MANAS and other national services, shall be prominently displayed in hostels, classrooms, common areas, and on websites in large and legible print," it said. It said all teaching and non-teaching staff shall undergo mandatory training at least twice a year, conducted by certified mental health professionals, on psychological first-aid, identification of warning signs, response to self-harm, and referral mechanisms. The bench said all educational institutions shall ensure that all staffs are adequately trained to engage with students from vulnerable and marginalised backgrounds in a sensitive, inclusive, and non-discriminatory manner. "This shall include, but not be limited to, students belonging to Scheduled Castes , Scheduled Tribes , Other Backward Classes , Economically Weaker Sections , LGBTQ communities, students with disabilities, those in out-of-home care, and students affected by bereavement, trauma, or prior suicide attempts, or intersecting form of marginalisation," it said. The bench said every such institution shall constitute an internal committee or designated authority empowered to take immediate action on complaints about sexual harrasment, ragging and others and provide psycho-social support to victims. It said all educational Institutions shall regularly organise sensitisation programmes for parents and guardians on student mental health. It said mental health literacy, emotional regulation, life skills education and awareness of institutional support services shall be integrated into student orientation programmes and co-curricular activities. "All educational institutions shall maintain anonymised records and prepare an annual report indicating the number of wellness interventions, student referrals, training sessions, and mental health-related activities," the bench said. It said examination patterns shall be periodically reviewed to reduce academic burden and to cultivate a broader sense of identity among students beyond test scores and ranks. It said all educational institutions, including coaching centres and training institutes, shall provide regular, structured career counselling services for students and their parents or guardians. "All residential-based educational institutions, including hostel owners, wardens and caretakers, shall take proactive steps to ensure that campuses remain free from harassment, bullying, drugs....," the bench said. It asked the Centre to file a compliance affidavit before the court within 90 days. "The affidavit shall also indicate the expected timeline for the completion of the report and recommendations of the National Task Force on mental health concerns of students," it said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
India Today
4 days ago
- India Today
Don't let Lonavala-Khandala lose charm: Court warns against unchecked development
The Bombay High Court has stressed the urgent need to protect the fragile ecology of Lonavala and Khandala, warning that the region's natural charm could be lost to unregulated development and inadequate infrastructure. While disposing of a long-pending PIL filed in 2007, the Court ordered that civic issues in the twin hill stations continue to be monitored, underscoring the importance of sustainable planning in ecologically sensitive the ecology of the region is not protected, the whole charm of the Lonavala-Khandala region would be lost. Therefore, necessary measures are required to be adopted to ensure that the ecology of the hill towns is maintained and is not destroyed by uncontrolled development coupled with lack of requisite infrastructure," the Bombay High Court bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne was hearing a number of petitions seeking that the state government be directed to include the Lonavala-Khandala region in the list of hill stations to ensure that the development activities in the region do not destroy its ecology. The bench, however, said that "this would lie in the realm of policy decisions, into which this Court would be loathe to enter." Senior advocate Fredun DeVitre, appearing for the petitioners, argued that despite being part of the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats, Lonavala's civic body failed to uphold its basic responsibilities under Article 21 of the Constitution, the Right to Life and Clean petition sought directions to implement waste and sewage plans, demolish illegal structures, and regulate future construction based on hydrological and infrastructure petitions were filed over a decade ago and directed the formation of an expert committee in 2014 to scrutinise new development petitioners accepted that the expert committee appointed by the Court and the municipal council have been working in tandem for the last decade, to ensure that all large projects are permitted only after ensuring that adequate infrastructure is available in the region. It is accepted that some progress has been made on the infrastructural front in the bench, after hearing all parties, said, "At some stage, the municipal council and the state government need to put a proper infrastructural framework in place to ensure maintenance of the ecology of the region."The bench expressed trust and hope that the Lonavala-Khandala Municipal Council will fulfil its statutory duties by providing the necessary infrastructure for water and sanitation, and take prompt action against unauthorised constructions."The broad objective behind proper town planning is to satisfy the needs of future generations and to prevent the haphazard growth of urban agglomerations. While making a development plan with respect to a city, town or a region, a balancing act is performed to ensure that the aspirations of residents for better housing are balanced with the available infrastructure. When it comes to ecologically sensitive areas, the town planning norms must have regard to the special environmental needs of the region," the bench bench noted that since Lonavala Municipal Council is in the process of preparing of new development plan, the existing mechanism of processing of development proposals through Court appointed expert committee can continue to operate till the new development plan and the new Development Control Regulations are sanctioned by the state government."This would ensure that uncontrolled development based on existing dated DCRs does not occur during the gap period," the bench noted.- EndsTune InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Maharashtra#Mumbai
