Supreme Court Takes Note Of Suicide Cases In IIT Kharagpur, Sharda University

The Supreme Court today took Suo Motu cognisance of the suicide cases of an engineering student at IIT Kharagpur and a dental student at Sharda University. 

The top court has sought responses from the two institutes on whether the cases were promptly brought to the police's attention for the registration of criminal cases.

Expressing concern over the flaws in the education system, the court said that if an FIR is not registered immediately, contempt proceedings will be initiated.

A bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan has summoned a report from the West Bengal government and the Uttar Pradesh government, observing that something was amiss.

Ritam Mandal, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student of IIT Kharagpur, died by suicide on July 18. She was a resident of Kolkata and was studying in a five-year dual degree program. This is the fourth such case in the IIT Kharagpur campus since January this year. 

On January 12, the body of Shaon Mallick, a third-year student of the Electronic Engineering Department, was found hanging. 

Jyoti Sharma, a second-year BDS student, committed suicide in the hostel of Sharda University located in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida.

The court will hear the case next on July 28. The court said that "something is wrong". 

The court appointed senior advocate Aparna Bhatt as amicus curiae -the lawyer appointed to assist in the case - and asked Ms Bhatt to provide detailed information. 

On March 24, the Supreme Court mandated registration of FIRs for every suicide. It examined two suicides at IIT Delhi, expanded the scope of the matter, and formed a former Supreme Court judge S Ravindra Bhat-led National Task Force headed. It urged the task force, which includes experts, to examine the reasons for student suicides. The committee is yet to submit its preliminary report.

The court, in its order in March, noted suicides in college hostels due to sexual harassment, ragging, or caste discrimination among other factors.