On Friday, the Supreme Court expressed serious concern over the growing number of student suicides in Kota, Rajasthan — a city known for its intense coaching culture.
A bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan strongly reprimanded the state government for failing to adequately address the crisis, calling the situation “alarming” and demanding accountability.
The bench highlighted that at least 14 student suicides have already been reported from Kota in 2025 alone. Questioning the lack of effective intervention,
Justice Pardiwala asked the Rajasthan government’s legal counsel, “What are you doing as a state? Why are these children dying by suicide, and only in Kota? Have you not given it any thought as a state?”
The state’s representative responded that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been set up to probe the rising suicide cases. However, the court remained unconvinced, pointing out systemic lapses in handling these tragedies.
The court was hearing multiple related cases, including the recent suicide of a 22-year-old IIT Kharagpur student, who was found hanging in his hostel room on May 4.
Another case involved a female NEET aspirant in Kota, who had been living with her parents and was also found dead by suicide.
The bench sharply criticized the delayed police response in the IIT Kharagpur case, noting that the First Information Report (FIR) was filed only on May 8, four days after the incident.
“Don’t take these things lightly. These are very serious matters,” the bench said, emphasizing that prompt FIR registration is crucial in such cases.
This delay, the court reminded, stands in violation of its March 24 ruling, where it had ordered the formation of a national task force to tackle the growing mental health crisis among students in higher education.
That ruling specifically stressed the mandatory and timely filing of FIRs in student suicide cases to ensure thorough and transparent investigations.
When questioned about the delay, a police officer present in court responded that the FIR had now been registered and that investigations were ongoing.
However, the court was dissatisfied with the explanation and warned that it could have taken contempt proceedings against the police officer for failing to act on the court’s directives.
“We could have taken a very strict view and even initiated contempt proceedings against the jurisdictional police officer,” the bench stated, but chose to refrain from further action given that the investigation was now underway.
In the case of the Kota student, the court was even more critical. Despite the death being known to authorities, no FIR had been filed, a direct defiance of the Supreme Court’s March directive.
The court was told that while the student had moved out of her coaching institute accommodation in November 2024 to live with her parents, it was still the responsibility of the local police to register an FIR.
“The officer in charge of the territorial police station has failed in his duty and has not complied with the Supreme Court’s directions,” the bench declared.
As a result, the court has summoned the police officer handling the Kota case to appear on July 14, directing him to provide a detailed explanation for the lapses.
The bench made it clear that the ongoing investigation in both cases must now proceed expeditiously and in the right direction.
The court also noted that while the national task force, it constituted earlier, is expected to submit a comprehensive report, the urgency of the situation in Kota required immediate remedial action at the state level.
Concluding the hearing, the bench firmly reiterated its stance: “You are in contempt of our judgment. Why have you not registered the FIR?”
The court signaled that both state authorities and law enforcement must treat such cases with the seriousness they deserve, especially in light of the ongoing mental health crisis among students.
