BHC appeals to officials citing rise in student suicides

Bombay High Court: Terming the rise in suicide cases among students pursuing higher education as “alarming”, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday called upon the authorities to take immediate measures. A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyay and Justice Amit Borkar also said that mental and physical health are integral parts of a student. The High Court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by child rights activist Shobha Panchamukh, who had raised concerns over the rise in suicide cases among students. The petition urged the High Court to direct the University of Mumbai (MU) to issue a circular to all affiliated/associated colleges to engage counsellors to deal with the mental health of students. The PIL highlighted inadequate measures to prevent suicidal tendencies among students of higher education. “Such a situation is alarming and immediate measures are required to be taken by all concerned parties,” the bench said. The bench further said that universities are legally bound under the Maharashtra Universities Act to promote a healthy atmosphere in colleges, universities and institutions and ensure the welfare of students. The bench said, “In our view, it is the duty of the university to take steps to create such an atmosphere in colleges and institutions where incidents of suicide do not take place.” The bench directed the petitioner to include the University Grants Commission as a respondent in the petition, as many colleges are now becoming autonomous. The High Court asked the Maharashtra government, MU and the Higher and Technical Education Department to file an affidavit within three weeks. If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Kooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pra Diksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maitri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata)