New Delhi: Delhi’s premier higher educational institutions, including IIT Delhi, AIIMS Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, and Ramjas College, have been prominently involved in the work of the Supreme Court-appointed National Task Force (NTF) investigating student suicides and mental health issues on campuses nationwide.
The task force, which has visited 30 institutions across 10 states, has been granted an extension until October 31 to submit its final report as it broadens consultations on what is emerging as one of India’s most critical higher education challenges.
The Supreme Court, through an order dated May 27, extended the tenure of the 10-member panel headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice S. Ravindra Bhat after taking note of a status report detailing its work over the past year. Constituted in March 2025, the task force had earlier submitted an interim report in November 2025, recently made public, based on responses from over 2 lakh students, including those from IIT Delhi and AIIMS.
“Delhi, being a melting pot for students from across India and home to premier educational institutions, has unique challenges but also opportunities to test interventions that can be scaled up nationally. The challenges of a diverse student population are varied, and one size won’t fit all,” said Dr. Aqsa Shaikh, associate professor at Jamia Hamdard and a member of the task force.
The panel was constituted following Supreme Court proceedings linked to the suicides of two IIT Delhi students and allegations that police had failed to register FIRs. In its judgment, the court termed the rise in student suicides “highly disturbing,” noting that more than 13,000 students died by suicide in 2022 — 7.6% of all suicides in India and more than the number of farmer suicides recorded that year.
The interim report suggests student suicides cannot be viewed solely as a mental health issue. Academic pressure, discrimination, financial stress, social isolation, harassment, and inadequate institutional support emerged as recurring concerns.
Among over 2.4 lakh students surveyed, 34% reported feeling like outsiders on campus, while only 56% said they trusted their institution’s administration to handle serious issues fairly. Around 15% reported prolonged periods of distress, anxiety, or low mood in the previous six months, while 9% said they had experienced suicidal thoughts often or very often in the preceding year.
The report also found that more than 70% of surveyed institutions lacked full-time mental health professionals and fewer than 4% had formal suicide-risk management protocols. The final report is expected to recommend measures to strengthen accountability, improve campus mental health systems, and address structural causes of student distress.
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About the Author: Kushagra Dixit writes on environmental issues, wildlife conservation, climate change, agriculture, human rights, and scientific research. His investigative coverage encompasses river contamination with emphasis on the Yamuna, air pollution, urban waste, and their collective effects on public wellbeing.
