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The Supreme Court criticised the lack of institutional action against caste-based discrimination in higher education amid rising IIT, IIM suicides.
SC Calls IIT, IIM Suicides ‘Extremely Unfortunate,’ Promises Robust Preventive Mechanism.
The Supreme Court on Friday termed the incidents of suicides in IITs and IIMs as “extremely unfortunate” and assured that a strong mechanism would be put in place to address the issue. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh was informed by senior advocate Indira Jaising that 18 students had died by suicide in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) in the past 14 months.
“It is extremely unfortunate what is happening. We will create a robust mechanism to check this situation. We will take this issue to its logical conclusion,” the bench said.
Jaising, representing the mothers of students Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi—who allegedly died by suicide after facing caste-based discrimination—stated that universities and colleges had not provided complete data on campus suicides despite a court order.
Vemula, a PhD scholar at Hyderabad Central University, died on January 17, 2016, while Tadvi, a student at TN Topiwala National Medical College, died on May 22, 2019, allegedly due to discrimination by three senior doctors.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, informed the court that the University Grants Commission (UGC) had formulated draft regulations addressing most of the concerns raised by the petitioners. These draft regulations had been uploaded on the UGC website for public suggestions and objections.
Jaising pointed out that 40% of universities and 80% of colleges had yet to establish equal opportunity cells on their campuses.
The bench directed the UGC to review suggestions submitted on the draft regulations and asked Jaising and other petitioners to provide their inputs.
Jaising requested an oral hearing before finalising the regulations, but Mehta opposed it, arguing that allowing personal hearings would set a precedent where everyone would demand the same.
“If they want to give any suggestions, they can do so through the website, but personal hearings cannot be allowed,” Mehta submitted.
The bench acknowledged the significance of the issue raised by the petitioners and assured that the court would see it through to its logical conclusion. The matter has been posted for hearing after eight weeks.
On January 3, the court had called the matter sensitive and expressed its intent to formulate an effective mechanism to combat caste-based discrimination in educational institutions. It directed the UGC to notify draft regulations ensuring that no such discrimination occurred in central, state, private, and deemed universities. It also sought data on how many institutions had established equal opportunity cells in compliance with the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Educational Institutions Regulations) 2012.
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The petitioners claimed that since 2004, over 50 students—primarily from SC/ST backgrounds—had died by suicide in IITs and other institutions due to caste-based discrimination.
In 2019, the Supreme Court had issued notice on the PIL, which sought enforcement of fundamental rights, including the Right to Equality, the Right to Prohibition of Discrimination on caste grounds, and the Right to Life.
The plea alleged “rampant prevalence” of caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions and sought strict enforcement of the 2012 UGC regulations. It called for the establishment of equal opportunity cells on campuses, modeled after existing anti-discrimination mechanisms, with representation from SC/ST communities, NGOs, and social sector representatives to ensure fairness.
Additionally, the plea urged universities to take strict disciplinary action against caste-based victimisation of students or staff and to protect students from hostility on campuses.
(With inputs from PTI)
