"What Are You Doing As A State?: Supreme Court Raps Rajasthan Over Spike In Student Suicides In Kota
Kota, Rajasthan: Amid the rising number of student suicides in Kota, the Supreme Court on Friday reprimanded the Rajasthan government, calling the situation “serious”. The court observed that 14 cases of student suicides have been reported in the city so far.
A bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan was hearing a matter over the death of a 22-year-old student studying at IIT Kharagpur, who was found dead in a hostel room on May 4.
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The top court was also hearing another case where a girl, a NEET aspirant, was found dead in her room in Kota on November 2024, where she lived with her parents.
Questioning the state’s efforts to prevent the deaths, the court asked, “What are you doing as a state? Why are these children dying by suicide and only in Kota? Have you not given a thought as a state?”
In both cases, the court flagged delays and failures by local authorities in filing First Information Reports (FIRs). In the IIT Kharagpur case, the FIR was lodged only on May 8 — four days after the student’s death. The bench questioned this delay and criticised both the institute and the police for their inadequate handling of the case.
The court reminded the Rajasthan government of its March 24 verdict that called for the formation of a national task force to address mental health issues and recurring suicides among students. It noted that while the task force’s report would take time, urgent action at the state level was still required.
On the Kota case, the court took strong exception to the police’s failure to register an FIR. “You are in contempt of our judgement. Why have you not registered the FIR?” the bench asked the state’s counsel. It emphasised that even though the girl was no longer residing in her coaching accommodation, the police were still obligated to file an FIR and investigate.
With the FIR now lodged in both cases, the court refrained from further comments but directed that the investigations continue “in accordance with the law” and “in the right direction”. It also summoned the concerned police officer from the Kota case to appear before the court on July 14 to provide an explanation.
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The state government, represented in court, said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been constituted to look into the rising number of student suicides. However, the bench appeared unconvinced by the state’s assurances.
Thousands of students from across the country swarm to Rajasthan’s Kota district to prepare for admission to the renowned IITs. Estimated to be worth Rs 10,000 crore annually, as per Hindustan Times, the city is the hub for all aspirants with dreams of cracking the highly competitive engineering and medical entrance exams.
Of the 1 million students who appear for the JEE exam, only 10,000 qualify for the 23 IITs. Of the 2 million who sit for the NEET exam, only 140,000 bag a seat at a medical college.
