SC directs mental health reforms in educational institutions, issues national guidelines

The Supreme Court on July 25 issued nationwide guidelines to address the rise in student suicides and mental health issues in educational institutions across India.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed that there is a "legislative and regulatory vacuum" concerning suicide prevention frameworks in schools, colleges, coaching centers, and other student-focused environments.

In response, the court laid down 15 binding guidelines, which will remain in force until formal legislation is introduced by the government.

All educational institutions have been directed to adopt a uniform mental health policy, drawing from the Ministry of Education’s “Ummeed” draft guidelines, the “Manodarpan” initiative, and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.

“This policy shall be reviewed and updated annually and made publicly accessible on institutional websites and notice boards of the institutes,” the bench said.

Institutions with 100 or more students must appoint at least one qualified counselor, psychologist, or social worker with training in child and adolescent mental health.

Smaller institutions are expected to build formal referral systems with external mental health professionals.

“All residential-based institutions shall install tamper-proof ceiling fans or equivalent safety devices and shall restrict access to rooftops, balconies, and other high-risk areas in order to deter impulsive acts of self-harm,” the order stated.

Coaching centers and academic institutions have been asked to avoid practices such as batch segregation based on academic performance, public shaming, and setting unrealistic academic targets.

“All educational institutions shall establish robust, confidential, and accessible mechanisms for the reporting, redressal, and prevention of incidents involving sexual assault, harassment, ragging, and bullying on the basis of caste, class, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or ethnicity,” the court added.

The bench emphasized that any retaliation against complainants or whistle-blowers should not be tolerated.

In such situations, immediate referral to trained mental health professionals must be ensured, and the student's safety, both physical and psychological, must be prioritized.

“Failure to take timely or adequate action in such cases, especially where such neglect contributes to a student's self-harm or suicide, shall be treated as institutional culpability, making the administration liable to regulatory and legal consequences,” the bench said.

Coaching hubs in cities including Kota, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai have been specifically directed to enforce stronger mental health and safety protocols.

The guidelines are applicable to all types of educational institutions, whether public or private, including hostels, universities, and training centers.

In a related development, the court also directed the formation of a National Task Force to examine mental health issues and suicide prevention in higher educational institutions.

“We may clarify that these are not in supersession but in parallel to the ongoing work of the National Task Force on mental health concerns of students and are being issued to provide an interim protective architecture in the interregnum,” the bench said.

All states and union territories have been instructed to notify rules within two months to ensure the registration of private coaching centers, student protection norms, and grievance redressal mechanisms.

The center has been asked to file a compliance affidavit within 90 days, detailing implementation steps and monitoring systems. The case will next be heard on October 27.

Separately, the court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the probe into the death of a 17-year-old NEET aspirant in Visakhapatnam.

The CBI director has been instructed to register the case without delay and assign it to a team under the supervision of the jurisdictional superintendent.