Amit Kumar vs Union Of India

2026 INSC 62 REPORTABLE

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 1425 OF 2025 (Arising out of S.L.P. (Criminal) No. 13324 of 2024)

AMIT KUMAR & ORS. …APPELLANT(S)

VERSUS

UNION OF INDIA & ORS. …RESPONDENT(S)

ORDER

Signature Not Verified Digitally signed by CHANDRESH Date: 2026.01.15 17:59:02 IST Reason: Page 1 of 38 J.B. PARDIWALA & R. MAHADEVAN, J.J. :-

1. By our judgment and order dated 24.03.2025, we had clarified the law

as regards the mandatory registration of an F.I.R. in the event of

disclosure of a cognizable offence and simultaneously, reminded the

administration of every educational institution that, it is their

unequivocal moral and legal obligation to promptly lodge an F.I.R. with

the appropriate authorities, if an incident of suicide occurs on campus.

2. While holding so, we had taken note of the disturbing pattern of student

suicides being reported from various educational institutions across the

country and deemed it necessary to understand what could be the

underlying causes contributing to distress amongst students. This was

done with a view to propel some affirmative action through the

formulation of comprehensive and effective guidelines/strategies that

would address the core of the problem and build a robust

institutionalized response for ensuring the mental well-being of

students studying in Higher Educational Institutions (hereinafter, the

“HEIs”).

Page 2 of 38

3. In light of the same, a National Task Force (hereinafter, the “NTF”) to

address the mental health concerns of students and prevent the

commission of suicides in HEIs, was constituted by this Court. Their

remit broadly included the (a) identification of the predominant causes

leading to the commission of suicides by students; (b) analysis of the

existing legal and institutional frameworks along with its

(in)adequacies; and (c) recommendations for strengthening protections

from a preventive, remedial and reformative perspective, all which

ensured inclusivity, accountability and student well-being in HEIs.

4. The NTF has prepared and placed before us an interim report in

pursuance of the aforesaid.

5. Before giving a broad overview of the interim report prepared by the

NTF, we are deeply saddened to acknowledge that we have come across

several more incidents of student suicides which have been reported to

have occurred in educational institutions across the country. Such

repeated unfortunate incidents, time and again, reminds us of the

Page 3 of 38 gravity and enormity of the issue that we have been presented with in

the present matter.

6. Youth and young adulthood, are increasingly recognised as vulnerable

phases, with most mental health conditions emerging before the age of

24. The 2022 National Suicide Prevention Strategy, also identifies the

youth and students as priority groups while recommending multi-

sectoral interventions. However, in such multi-sectoral interventions, it

is found that academic campus-based efforts in India are fragmented

and under-evaluated.

7. While some discourse surrounding the mental well-being of students

studying in HEIs and its close nexus with the incidence of suicides

already exists in academia, the NTF has moved one step further to look

into the sub-merged sections of the ‘ice-berg of student distress’ in order

to offer some structural, preventive and sustainable solutions to the

system and functioning of higher education in India. This is in

acknowledgment of the fact that student suicide represents only the

visible tip of a much larger ice-berg of student distress and well-being.

Page 4 of 38 Other manifestations of student distress and consequential low student

academic integration would include increased drop-out rates, poor

academic outcomes etc.

8. Although the suicide epidemic must be looked at from a mental health

or a public health perspective, yet it is equally important to explore

what the social, economic and other determinants of such behaviours

are, especially if we wish to holistically address the occurrences of

suicides in HEIs.

9. Many of the ills that beset the student are admittedly larger societal

issues. However, within the metaphorical four walls of the educational

institution, there are many things that remain within the immediate

control of the educational authorities. Therefore, scope for much reform

rests with the administrative and other authorities of the HEIs, at least

insofar as creating a nurturing and responsive environment for students

is concerned.

Page 5 of 38

10. There also exists some debate as regards the extent or nature of

responsibility that the HEIs hold in ensuring the mental well-being of

students. The tussle in particular is regarding whether a clear line can

be drawn between student autonomy and institutional responsibility

respectively. This dilemma between the aforesaid is especially

accentuated in the aftermath of the occurrence of any suicide, during

which, there is a heightened tendency to ascribe a larger role to the

individual autonomy of the deceased and remove any direct or even

incidental institutional responsibility. In other words, there exists a

predisposition to “shift the blame” and individualise the incident i.e., to

attribute individual-specific reasons and personal short-comings as the

closely-related cause. There is hardly any introspection into the

institutionally normalised ‘stressors’ which may have had any

contributory effect. However, irrespective of upon whom the

culpability may lie from a strict penal perspective, all that we are trying

to convey is that HEIs cannot shirk away from their fundamental duty

to ensure that their institutions as a whole are safe, equitable, inclusive

and conducive spaces of learning.

Page 6 of 38

11. The NTF has approached the task assigned to them from both an

academic and a practical lens. Along with conducting a detailed review

of all the laws, policies, guidelines, recommendations, previous reports

etc., and examining the public data on student suicides from Sample

Registration Surveys (for short, the “SRS”), the National Crime Records

Bureau (for short, the “NCRB”) and online newspaper reports, the NTF

also launched a dedicated website to gather inputs via tailored surveys

from five stakeholder groups i.e., students, faculty, parents, mental

health providers and HEIs all over the country. Although the response

rate of the HEIs was relatively low i.e., 3.5% of 60,383 HEIs, yet they

give us a good representative idea of the reality in HEIs in this country.

Some valuable perspectives that have been particularly insightful have

emerged through these surveys. Further supplementing the aforesaid,

the NTF has also conducted a series of institutional visits and

stakeholder consultations, more precisely, a total of 30 meetings at 19

institutional sites, spanning different States, institutions and disciplines.

Page 7 of 38

12. The NTF has also taken due note of the elaborate guidelines issued by

this Court in Sukdeb Saha v. The State of Andhra Pradesh reported in

2025 SCC OnLine SC 1515.

I. IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING THE UNDERLYING

CONTRIBUTORS TO THE INCREASED INCIDENCE OF

STUDENT SUICIDES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

13. Upon analysing SRS data, the NTF has found that in the 15-29 age

group, suicides are either the second highest cause of death in the case

of men or, the highest cause of death in the case of women, with medical

reasons falling far behind. Such is not the case in any other age group,

where medical reasons visibly occupy a greater role. It is also pertinent

to mention that the suicide rate in India is way ahead of the global rates

pertaining to this age group.

14. According to NCRB data for the year 2022, the total number of student

suicides stood at an alarming 13,000 cases. The youth of this country are

increasingly becoming vulnerable to suicides than the overall

population. Several studies also seem to indicate that such a rise in the

Page 8 of 38 number of student suicides is occurring at a time when the proportion

of the youth in the overall population is seeing a decline.

i. The manner of Expansion of the Higher Education System in India

15. In setting the context for further discussion, the NTF has begun by

highlighting that the unique complexities of higher education has its

genesis in the way in which it has expanded in the past few decades.

The “massification” and “privatisation” of the higher education system

in India has brought in unprecedented levels of student enrolment.

India is already the world’s second largest higher education system in

terms of student enrolment. In addition to this, the National Education

Policy, 2020 (for short, the “NEP, 2020”) has also set an ambitious target

of achieving a 50 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio (for short, “GER”) by

the year 2035. There is no doubt that this expansion coupled with

affirmative action has also translated into the increased enrolment of

students belong to disadvantaged groups including SC/ST/OBCs,

PwDs, transgender persons, individuals from rural and remote areas

etc.

Page 9 of 38

16. However, this growth has brought with itself some substantial

challenges and unprecedented pressure on academic standards. The

purely quantitative expansion without any adequate institutional

support framework, has left students vulnerable, as is directly

evidenced by the recurring instances of campus tragedies.

17. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that our myopic focus on quantity

does not eclipse the creation of qualitative support systems or reforms

within our higher education system. Numerical progress would only

superficially fulfil legal requirements and policy goals. What we must

strive to achieve is the “substantive and full participation” of all

students within the higher education learning environment as

envisioned within our constitutional ideals.

ii. Structural and social inequalities

18. It is in this context, that it becomes necessary to address the persistent

structural inequalities that students may be confronted with, post their

entry into college. In simple terms, we must acknowledge that all

students entering college life may not be similarly placed in all aspects.

Page 10 of 38 The lived realities of students belonging to marginalised groups

(SC/ST/OBC), persons with disabilities (for short, “PwDs”),

transgender persons, women, students from rural backgrounds, non-

English speaking students etc. remain different even within the college

atmosphere. Affirmative action cannot stop at merely ensuring their

entry into higher education. It must also reflect in the creation of

adequate support systems which ameliorate instead of exacerbate

existing inequities. The existence of such systems would significantly

disarm a significant host of stressors which disproportionately affect

students from marginalised groups and disadvantaged communities

and as a consequence, ensure their overall mental well-being.

19. Such support systems would range from:

i. the existence of well-functioning Equal Opportunity

Cells/Centres (for short, “EOCs”) as mandated by the University

Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Educational

Institutions) Regulations, 2012;

ii. The existence of a well-functioning, independent and effective

Internal Complaints Committee (for short, “ICCs”) as mandated

Page 11 of 38 by the University Grants Commission (Prevention, prohibition

and redressal of sexual harassment of women employees and

students in higher educational institutions) Regulations, 2015;

iii. Proportionate representation of marginalised groups in faculty

and other positions of administrative authority within HEIs

which attempt to close the educator-student mismatch and create

a more inclusive and supportive learning environment;

iv. A representative and non-skewed social composition of the

student body;

v. Accessible infrastructure for PwDs not just in terms of a few

ramps and handrails but also with careful attention paid to tactile

paths, signage, lifts, digital accessibility etc.;

vi. Initiatives that foster more inclusivity including but not limited to

language development centres and structured initiatives that

facilitate English language training for students educated in

vernacular/regional languages so that they can handle the

exclusively English-medium pedagogy and English-dominated

social environment; robust faculty and student mentorship

initiatives that offer academic and other necessary forms of

Page 12 of 38 support; absence of barriers to membership and full participation

in extra-curricular activities, co-curricular activities, clubs etc.;

institutionally created ‘safe spaces’ to build community which

would include separate infrastructural facilities which are to be

created by college authorities along with the promotion a culture

of non-academic activities and initiatives which encourage

socialisation etc.

20. One might argue that aforesaid support systems, all predominantly

exist in most HEIs, in some form or the other. However, such an

averment would be visibly distant from the truth as the work of the NTF

has itself revealed that they either only exist on paper, or not at all; even

when they exist in actuality, they are merely tokenistic.

21. Especially in the context of EOCs and ICCs, what has been gathered

from some first-hand accounts of students and faculty members from

the online survey and the institutional visits of the NTF, is deeply

disheartening. Though these bodies may find existence in several

institutions, they lack independence and often work to favour the

Page 13 of 38 perpetrators or aggressors rather than the students for whom it was

created. Cases are suppressed and proceedings are often biased. This

also induces fears of academic or social backlash in students and

prevents them from accessing grievance redressal mechanisms. Even if

such bodies are constituted with the right members, they are said to lack

any real authority in the larger administrative framework of the HEIs to

take any action, rendering them virtually powerless when faced with

any incident of sexual harassment or discrimination.

22. This discloses the very sad reality that inclusion often remains more

symbolic than real and brings to the fore the fragility of higher

education in India –those that are attitudinal, infrastructural and

procedural.

iii. Ragging

23. The menace of ragging still seems to persist within several HEIs

with the same also being normalised and touted as a “bonding

exercise” or a “friendly ice-breaking effort”. We would be remiss

Page 14 of 38 if we did not acknowledge that significant steps have been taken

to rid educational campuses of the problem of ragging. However,

what seems to be the concern of many is that while HEIs obtain

anti-ragging declarations from students on paper, in the event of

such incidents occurring, they are not properly addressed and the

consequences for erring students are minimal or absent.

iv. Increased academic pressure

24. The transition from school to university is a phase in young adulthood

that brings with it some unique responsibilities, challenges and

difficulties but without proper support systems. During the NTF’s

institutional visits, many students shared how they go from being

academically exceptional to one of many over-achievers at their

college/university. This combined with the institutional culture which

persistently creates anxiety and heightened stress levels to compete and

excel, brings about a sharp rise in mental health issues.

25. Extremely rigid attendance policies, overburdening and unplanned

phasing/scheduling of the academic curriculum, exam assessment

Page 15 of 38 methodologies, faculty shortage, vacant teaching posts, excessive

reliance on inexperienced guest faculty, non-transparent or non-existent

placement processes etc. were all pointed out as stressors by the

responses received by the NTF from students. Medical students, in

particular, spoke about the entrenched borderline exploitative academic

culture coupled with on-call hours being stretched well beyond the

prescribed limit – going as far as 36-48 hours at a go. In technical

institutions offering PhD programmes, it was pointed out that high

research demands, burnout, financial difficulties were combined with

uneven and inconsistent relationship with their supervisors, lack of

adequate lab equipment etc. Engineering college going students also

highlighted the intense nature of academic expectations heavily driven

by placements and salary packages. Several other course-specific and

discipline-specific issues were raised in these responses.

26. All of the aforesaid are not shockingly new findings – discussions

around these issues have long pre-occupied policy makers and

educators alike but with no long-lasting or real solution.

Page 16 of 38

27. A by-product of this competitive culture is the difficulty in building

healthy peer groups which then directly translates into social isolation.

When institutional spaces have no space for camaraderie , all students

suffer and especially, students from diverse social and economic

backgrounds suffer more.

28. Such a competitive culture is, no doubt, also carried over due to parental

pressure regarding career prospects etc. While we recognise that

sensitising parents is equally important, there is much that we can do to

change the normalised institutional culture at these places of learning.

v. Failure to properly redress mental health concerns of student by

HEIs.

29. The role of Mental Health Service Providers (for short, the “MHSPs”)

in campus ecosystems is especially important if one conceptualises

student mental health as a continuum, extending beyond clinical

diagnoses to encompass broader well-being and suicide prevention

efforts.

Page 17 of 38

30. The NTF has highlighted that there is a persistent and significant

treatment gap for common mental health concerns in HEIs, driven both

by supply-side barriers (scarcity of trained professionals, uneven

service distribution, etc.) and demand-side barriers (stigma, low

prioritization, fear of academic repercussions etc.). Any strategy must

focus on a combination of reforms which addresses both these barriers

equally.

31. The survey conducted by the NTF and the preliminary responses

indicate that around 65% of the institutes surveyed currently do not

provide access to any MHSPs. Furthermore, the lack of presence of any

full-time MHSPs was indicated in 73% of the surveyed HEIs.

Preliminary figures also suggested a poor uptake of these services, even

in institutes where they existed. However, such a sub-optimal

utilisation may stem from several factors which include inter-alia poor

awareness about its existence within the student community, the

positioning of these services, lack of trust in administration, doubts

regarding the maintenance of confidentiality, apprehensions about

negative academic or social consequences, quality of services and

Page 18 of 38 corresponding satisfaction, its student-friendliness in terms of

location/timing/appointment procedures/nature of services etc. In the

absence of in-campus presence, even the presence of any formal liaison

or external linkages with MHSPs were reported in less than 20% of the

HEIs.

32. On the other hand, it must be mentioned that a handful of HEIs seem to

have also embraced an overreaching approach – by adopting an overly

standardised method and mandating that all students be sent to

counselling centres to undergo psychiatric evaluation, irrespective of

their individual needs. Such approaches fail to understand that mental

health problems need to be tailored to the subjective needs of students

instead of taking a ‘one size fits all’ outlook with a view to minimise

on-paper culpability.

33. In this context, we must also mention that views from several faculty

members given to the NTF are also noteworthy. In the absence of

MHSPs, the faculty members themselves felt unprepared to offer

support, especially for sensitive and severe problems, including crises

Page 19 of 38 such as suicidal ideation. They stated that they are equally over-

extended with academic workloads and other administrative

responsibilities. Therefore, we must be cognisant before holding the

faculty members solely responsible for the students’ mental health

outcomes as well. Having said so, they are important stakeholders

within the HEI environment who must be trained to identify signs of

mental health risk and refer such students to MHSPs in appropriate

cases.

vi. Financial Stress

34. Financial stress was also frequently brought as a recurring theme

directly impacting the mental well-being of several students, especially

those belonging to rural and middle-income backgrounds. In several

HEIs, they were extensive delays, inconsistencies and inequities in

scholarship disbursement. Some HEIs even have institutional policies

wherein the students are held accountable for the payment of fees when

reimbursements/disbursements from the government faced any

administrative delays. The absence of any support on other costs which

Page 20 of 38 are equally high such as hostel fees, exam and administrative fees etc.

were also said to exacerbate financial pressure.

35. The NTF also received several e-mail communications from students

themselves (which have been annexed in the interim report)

complaining of scholarship lapses due to systemic failures. The

necessity for immediate and time-bound grievance redressal was an

anguished plea on part of many students relying on such benefits for

the pursuance of their studies.

II. EXISTING LEGAL, POLICY AND INSTITUTIONAL

FRAMEWORKS ALONG WITH THEIR GAPS, IF ANY.

36. The global measures for suicide prevention have all been aligned with

the World Health Organisation (for short, the “WHO”) policy on

suicide prevention. The NTF has identified that the nature of

interventions, however vary, with some countries framing a legal

statute (e.g., Japan, South Korea, the US, Canada, Argentina etc.) and

others relying on policies (e.g., UK, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden,

Page 21 of 38 Thailand etc.). In the particular context of suicide prevention measures

in colleges and universities, it is found that the system rests on a layered

structure but universities themselves, across these diverse contexts,

have converged on a set of common practices which include the

establishment of counselling and psychological services, strong referral

systems to external mental health providers, gatekeeper training, crisis

helplines, awareness initiatives and structured postvention protocols.

37. What we have noticed from the interim report is that policies and

measures to ensure student well-being in India, do exist to a very large

extent, but they are scattered across several individual documents and

therefore, its implementation and accountability for non-compliance

slips through the cracks. Just to give an idea of the measures which

already exist, the NTF has identified the following policies, several that

have been spearheaded by the University Gants Commission (for short,

the “UGC”), which address suicides and the issues leading to suicides

in India:

i. The UGC Regulation on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in

Higher Educational Institutions, 2009;

Page 22 of 38 ii. The UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Educational

Institutions) Regulations, 2012;

iii. The National Mental Health Programme (NMHP), 1982;

iv. The National Mental Health Policy, 2014;

v. UGC (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual

Harassment of Women Employees and Students in Higher

Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2016;

vi. National Education Policy, 2020;

vii. Nasha Mukti Abhiyaan Task Force and Nasha Mukt Bharat

campaign;

viii. The UGC Accessibility Guidelines and Standards for Higher

Education Institutions and Universities, 2022;

ix. National Suicide Prevention Strategy, 2022;

x. National Tele Mental Health Programme (Tele MANAS), 2022;

xi. UGC (Redressal of Grievances of Students) Regulations, 2023; and

xii. The Ministry of Education’s Malaviya Mission Teacher Training

Programme (MMTTP) and its component on Capacity Building

Programme for Promoting Positive Mental Health Resilience and

Well-being in HEIs;

Page 23 of 38

38. Some relevant legislations also include, the Scheduled Castes and

Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989; the Rehabilitation

Council of India Act, 1992; the National Trust Act, 1999; the Rights of

Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016; the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017;

and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.

39. It is of relevance to also note that some prior reports on issues related to

mental health and prevention of suicides in HEIs have also been looked

into by the NTF which include inter-alia the MHRD Task Force on

Centrally Funded Technical Institutions, 2012; Medical Institutions Task

Force under the National Medical Commission, 2024; independent

study conducted by IIT, Delhi in 2024; Report on Mental Health Services

at NLSIU Bengaluru (November, 2024); Reformation of National

Common Entrance Examination Testing (NEET) Report by the

Department of Higher Education, MHRD (October, 2024); Sexual

Harassment (Saksham Report) by the UGC, 2013; and the Psycho-social

study of Ragging released by the UGC, 2017.

Page 24 of 38

40. These seven reports provide certain benchmarks with which the work

of the NTF has progressed. Furthermore, the NTF seeks to draw from

these prior efforts to see what needs to be strengthened and where new

directions are called for, especially to ensure that the same wheels are

not reinvented or recycled.

41. A significant gap as regards the previous reports, recommendations

and guidelines on student well-being, which has been identified by the

NTF is that, more often than not, the discussions remain prescriptive in

nature without any mechanism outlined for effective implementation.

To put it simply, there is no implementation roadmap or any guiding

operating procedures which could help with a universal and modelled

response. The existing measures stop at identifying the issues and

provide no guidance on the next step – its effective redressal.

42. Even if a roadmap or some procedural nitty-gritties are outlined, they

do not find any strict real-world application, in the absence of

accountability being fixed on HEIs. To put it simply, most interventions

are generic, abstract and reactive. Although several of these measures

Page 25 of 38 are statutory regulations which have a binding effect, they are not taken

seriously because HEIs do not run the risk of any adverse consequences

for non-compliance. When it comes to guidelines, its enforcement

obviously throws up some serious challenges.

43. However, if we are to keep student well-being in HEIs at the forefront,

we would have to close these gaps, with the help of the NTF and the

Union of India, and put all HEIs to notice that non-compliance will carry

some commensurate and serious consequences. We have taken such a

firm view also considering that a majority of the HEIs have not even

shown any initiative in doing the bare-minimum i.e., providing relevant

information by responding to the online survey conducted by the NTF,

despite several reminders given on behalf of the Union of India. We are

deeply disappointed with the apathetic attitude of most HEIs, which

serve as a reminder of the deep-rooted complexities and formidable

barriers that hinder the implementation of any national-level initiative

aimed at strengthening student mental health support systems within

HEIs.

Page 26 of 38 III. RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE NTF

44. The NTF has made some valuable recommendations in its interim

report after their preliminary study. These recommendations are over

and above the guidelines which have been issued in the decision of this

Court in Sukdeb Saha (supra).

45. Keeping in view the recommendations of the NTF, we deem it fit to

issue the following directions in exercise of our plenary powers under

Article 142 of the Constitution of India:

i. The Sample Registration System data on Suicides, especially

those falling within the age group of 15-29 years, must be

centrally maintained for better and more accurate estimates of

Deaths by Suicide of students in HEIs. The mechanisms for

obtaining and maintaining the same, may be developed with

the help of experts in the field of public health and

demography.

ii. The NCRB, in its annual report, must distinguish between

school-going students and students of higher education in its

Page 27 of 38 categorisation of “student suicides” in order to aid the study

of the trends of student suicides in HEIs.

iii. All HEIs must report any incident of suicide or unnatural

death of a student, regardless of the location of its occurrence

(i.e. on campus, hostels, PG accommodations, or otherwise

outside the institutional premises), to the police authorities no

sooner they come to know about the incident. This should

cover all students - irrespective of whether they are studying

in the classroom, distance or online mode of learning.

iv. In addition to the above, an annual report of student suicides

or unnatural deaths must also be submitted to the UGC & all

other relevant regulatory bodies for professional courses (e.g.

AICTE, NMC, DCI, BCI etc.). In case of Central Universities

and Institutes of National Importance (for short, the “INIs”),

or any HEI that does not fall within the above-mentioned

framework, it must be reported to the Department of Higher

Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India.

v. Every residential HEI must have access to qualified medical

help round the clock, if not on campus, then within a one-km

Page 28 of 38 radius to provide emergency medical health support to

students.

vi. Keeping in mind the faculty shortages which have been

reported in several HEIs, both public and private, it must be

ensured that all vacant faculty positions (both teaching and

non-teaching) be filled within a period of four months, with

priority given to posts reserved for candidates from

marginalized and underrepresented communities including

those posts reserved for PwDs. Special recruitment drives

may be held for faculty recruitment that come under various

forms of reservations as per central and state government

rules.

vii. Appointment and filling of vacancies of the post of Vice-

Chancellor, Registrars, and other key

institutional/administrative positions, must also be made

within a period of four months. Moreover, it must be ensured

as a matter of practice that, these positions are filled within a

period of one month from the date on which the vacancy

arises, in order to ensure the smooth functioning of HEIs.

Page 29 of 38 Since the date of retirement is known much ahead in time,

recruitment processes must begin well in advance to ensure

that such posts do not remain vacant for more than a month.

All HEIs must report on an annual basis to the Central and

relevant State Governments, as to how many reserved posts

are vacant, how many are filled, reasons for non-filling, time

taken, etc., so that periodic accountability is ensured.

viii. The backlog of any and all pending scholarship

disbursements must be cleared within a period of four months

by the relevant Central and State government authorities. If

there exists any reason behind the non-disbursal of the same,

a notice with reasons must be sent to the relevant HEI along

with the student recipient, within a period of two months. It

must be ensured that the disbursement of all future

scholarships are done with clear timelines, without any delay

by the relevant Central and State Government authorities.

Disbursal dates and schedules must also be made known to

the student recipient. Even in cases of unavoidable

administrative delay, HEIs must not, as a policy, make the

Page 30 of 38 student recipients accountable for paying or clearing their

fees. No student should be prevented from appearing in an

examination, removed from hostels, barred from attending

classes, or have their marksheets and degrees withheld

because of delays in disbursal of scholarships. Any such

institutional policy, may be viewed strictly.

ix. All HEIs, are particularly put to strict notice, to remain fully

compliant with all the regulations that have a binding effect

on them including inter-alia the UGC Regulation on Curbing

the Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions,

2009; the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Educational

Institutions) Regulations, 2012; the UGC (Prevention,

Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women

Employees and Students in Higher Educational Institutions)

Regulations, 2016; the UGC (Redressal of Grievances of

Students) Regulations, 2023, amongst others. More,

particularly, the establishment of Anti-Ragging Committees

and Anti-Ragging Squads, Anti-Discrimination Officers,

Internal Complaints Committees and Student Grievance

Page 31 of 38 Redressal Committees along with the procedures detailed for

the respective grievance redressal mechanisms, must be

strictly adhered to.

46. The NTF has also made some other pertinent recommendations and the

same is reproduced as thus:

“4. Inclusion and Accessibility for Marginalised Groups (including Students with Disability and Transgender Students) • Conduct mandatory accessibility audits in all HEIs to ensure compliance with inclusivity standards.

• Following the audit, strengthen accessibility measures for students and staff from marginalized groups (including persons with disability and transgender students) across admission, reservation (wherever applicable), hostel accommodation, and campus facilities.

• Guarantee reasonable accommodation for all students with disability, including assistive technologies, accessible materials, and exam-related adjustments.

• Ensure that accommodation facilities, washrooms, sports facilities, etc are accessible to students with disability and gender-diverse students.

• Ensure that sufficient Scholarships are available and accessible to students from these marginalised sections.

-xxx-

7. Faculty Sensitization and Training • Mandate training for faculty and administrative staff to recognize academic, financial, social, and discrimination-

related stressors affecting students, particularly those from disadvantaged groups.

Page 32 of 38 • Training should equip faculty and administrative staff to provide appropriate referral, support, and early intervention for students in distress.

• The capacity building should equip the faculty and staff with existing applicable legislations, regulations, policies, and grievance redressal mechanisms.

-xxx-

9. Campus Mental Health Services • Ensure that students have access to student-friendly mental health support services provided by qualified professionals, while avoiding the indiscriminate use of the term "counsellor." For instance, the current practice of labelling faculty members from diverse academic disciplines as counsellors - without standardized orientation, training, or supervision can create misleading impressions about the availability of mental health services.

• Establish periodic, anonymized feedback mechanisms to assess student satisfaction with campus mental health services and inform ongoing improvements in service delivery. Monitor overall service uptake and implement targeted programs to reduce stigma and raise awareness about when and how to seek support.

• Develop clear and transparent standard operating procedures for all stakeholders (students, administrators, service providers, and faculty) detailing measures to protect confidentiality for students who seek mental health services and outlining the specific circumstances (e.g., imminent suicide risk) under which the confidentiality clause may be ethically overridden.

• Strengthen the capacity of campus-based mental health professionals through ongoing, student-centred training in crisis intervention, and collaborative approaches to address academic and institutional stressors. Equip service providers with the skills to effectively liaise with administration and advocate for student wellbeing across campus systems rather than work in isolation.”

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47. However, before we proceed to pass some detailed directions on the

specific recommendations reproduced hereinabove, we require some

further assistance from the NTF which they may incorporate in their

final report. This is with a view to ensure that the painstaking exercise

conducted by the NTF and our resultant directions do not suffer from

the same problem that has already been identified i.e., that they do not

remain prescriptive without any mechanism for implementation. We

request the NTF to assist us in the following aspects:

i. Creation of a model SOP for periodic “well-being audits” which

may be conducted in HEIs. This would include aspects

delineating which authority/body of persons would be

empowered to conduct such an audit and their composition; the

parameters of evaluation including but not limited to compliance

with binding regulations and other measures necessary for

inclusive education, the effectiveness of complaint resolution by

the Anti-ragging Committee, Internal Complaints Committee,

Anti-discrimination Officer, and Student Grievance Redressal

Committee, infrastructural requirements etc.; post-audit feedback

Page 34 of 38 and necessary action to be taken by the HEIs including the

mechanism for ensuring compliance in case any non-compliance

is found; the overall scoring system or assessment methodology

of the audit including the consequences for HEIs who perform

poorly etc. Scores received in such audits may be directly

imported to reflect in the NAAC grading scale for the concerned

HEI.

ii. Creation of a model SOP for faculty sensitisation and training

which may include the frequency at which such training must be

conducted; its scope in terms of including both faculty and non-

faculty members; the aspects or topics on which training would

be given; how the effectiveness of the training and its translation

into practice would be assessed etc.

iii. Creation of a model SOP for Mental Health Services which is to

be provided for students in HEIs. This would begin from

answering how gatekeeper training is to be provided to relevant

stakeholders; the infrastructural facilities along with expert

personnel requirements for mental health services which is to be

made available on campus; the remote provision of services

Page 35 of 38 through online video-conferencing; external-referral linkages,

whether they must be made free/subsidised and if so, to what

extent; rules of confidentiality and when they may be breached;

follow-up procedures; how the periodic and anonymized

feedback mechanisms which assess student satisfaction with the

mental health services offered must be conducted; how such

feedback would be incorporated in further provision of mental

health services; record keeping of wellness interventions, referrals

etc.; including a list of measures that can improve overall service

uptake by students and address the demand-side barriers etc.

48. The aforesaid would be in addition to the existing work of the NTF and

what they plan to incorporate in their final report.

49. What we wish to achieve through the aforesaid and also hope from the

NTF is that they suggest a model ‘Universal Design Framework’ or a

model ‘Suicide Prevention and Postvention Protocol’ or a model

‘Student well-being Protocol’ which cohesively and comprehensively

incorporates the aforementioned model SOPs, the existing guidelines

Page 36 of 38 on ragging, promotion of equity, sexual harassment, etc., and any other

relevant measures which they may consider necessary, into one single

guiding document. We would also request the NTF to leverage their

study of the existing laws, policies, guidelines and recommendations,

in this regard so that parallel bodies and mechanisms are not created

over and above those that already exist.

50. If any need be, it will be upon the statutory professional bodies and

sectoral organisations like UGC, All India Council for Technical

Education (for short, the “AICTE”), Indian Council of Agricultural

Research (for short, the “ICAR”), Pharmacy Council of India (for short,

the “PCI”), Indian Nursing Council (for short, the “INC”), Dental

Council of India (for short, the “DCI”), Central Council of Indian

Medicine (for short, the “CCIM”), Council of Architecture (for short, the

“COA”), National Council for Teacher Education (for short , the

“NCTE”), National Medical Commission (for short, the “NMC”), Bar

Council of India (for short, the “BCI”) etc. to incorporate additional

measures that address other specific issues which are unique to the

HEIs and technical institutes under their purview.

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51. We wish to record and express our deepest gratitude towards the

Chairperson and all the members of the NTF for the resolute devotion

with which they have been working to address the issue of student

suicides in HEIs.

52. The Union of India and the respective State Governments shall make

sure that the directions given by us in paragraph 45 of this order are

communicated to all HEIs all over this country, at the earliest and

appropriate action is taken in this regard.

……..…….....................J. [J.B. PARDIWALA]

……………...................J. [R. MAHADEVAN] New Delhi 15th January, 2026.

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