LexSUKDEB SAHA versus THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH & ORS
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[2025] 7 S.C.R. 1543 : 2025 INSC 893 Sukdeb Saha v. The State of Andhra Pradesh & Ors. (Criminal Appeal No. 3177 of 2025) 25 July 2025 [Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta,* JJ.] Issue for Consideration Issue of growing crisis of student suicides in educational institutions; need for a preventive, remedial, and supportive framework for mental health protection and prevention of suicides by students; whether in the facts and circumstances of the case, the High Court erred in rejecting the appellant’s prayer for transfer of the investigation to the CBI in the suspicious death of his 17-year-old daughter, who was undergoing coaching for NEET examination. Headnotes† Constitution of India – Art.21 – Right to Mental Health – Growing crisis of student suicides – Mental health crisis afflicting students in educational institutions inter alia, including schools, coaching institutes, colleges and training centres – Comprehensive binding interim guidelines issued: Held: 1.1 All educational institutions to adopt and implement a uniform mental health policy, drawing cues from the UMMEED (Understand, Motivate, Manage, Empathise, Empower, and Develop) 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. [Para 35] 1.2 All educational institutions with 100 or more enrolled students to appoint/engage at least one qualified counsellor, psychologist, or social worker with training in child and adolescent mental health – Institutions with fewer students to establish formal referral linkages with external mental health professionals. [Para 35] * Author 1544 [2025] 7 S.C.R. Supreme Court Reports 1.3 Dedicated mentors or counsellors to be assigned to smaller batches of students, during examination periods and academic transitions, to provide consistent, informal, and confidential support. [Para 35] 1.4 All educational institutions to 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 – All teaching and non-teaching staff to undergo mandatory training by certified mental health professionals on psychological first- aid, identification of warning signs, response to self-harm, and referral mechanisms, at least twice a year – Further guidelines enumerated – Coaching hubs, including but not limited to Jaipur, Kota, Sikar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, and other cities where students migrate in large numbers for competitive examination preparation, shall implement heightened mental health protections and preventive measures – The Department of Education, District Administration, and management of educational institutions, to ensure the provision of regular career counselling for students and parents, regulation of academic pressure planning, through structured academic availability of continuous psychological support, and the establishment of institutional mechanisms for monitoring and accountability to safeguard student mental well- being. [Para 35] 1.5 These guidelines shall apply to all educational institutions across India, including public and private schools, colleges, universities, training centres, coaching institutes, residential academies, and hostels, irrespective of their affiliation – These guidelines to remain in force and be binding until appropriate legislation or regulatory frameworks are enacted by the competent authority and 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 – These guidelines shall be read as complementary to the ongoing work of the National Task Force and would inform and assist the National Task Force in the development of a more comprehensive and inclusive framework. [Paras 35, 36] 2.1 Directions by Supreme Court – All States and Union Territories to notify rules within two months from the date of this judgment [2025] 7 S.C.R. 1545 Sukdeb Saha v. The State of Andhra Pradesh & Ors. mandating registration, student protection norms, and grievance redressal mechanisms for all priv
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