'Where our institutions are going wrong': CJI on student suicides

Hyderabad: Expressing his concern over the incidents of student suicides, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud wondered where institutions in the country are going wrong, pushing students to take extreme steps, PTI reported.

He said that his heart goes out to the bereaved families of victims.

Delivering the convocation address at The National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Hyderabad, he opined that student suicides from marginalized sections of society are becoming common, citing the incident of the alleged suicide of a Dalit student recently in IIT Bombay.

The CJI said that judges in India have an important role in making a dialogue with society inside and outside the courtrooms to push for social change.

He said, "Only recently, I read about the suicide of a Dalit student at IIT Bombay. It reminded me about the suicide of an Adivasi student at National Law University in Odisha last year. My heart goes out to the family members of these students. But I also have been wondering where our institutions are going wrong, that the students are forced to give up their precious life."

"In these instances, incidents of suicides from marginalized communities are becoming common. These numbers are not just statistics. They are stories sometimes of centuries of struggle. I believe that if we wish to address this issue, the first step is to acknowledge and recognize the problem," the top judge said.

He has been emphasizing the mental health of lawyers, while the mental health of students is also equally important. Not only must the education curriculum inculcate a sense of compassion among students, but the academic leaders must also be sensitive to their concerns, he said.

He said, "I think the issue of discrimination is directly linked to the lack of empathy in educational institutions."

He said that as CJI, he put effort into bringing structural issues which confront society into the spotlight. "Therefore, promoting empathy must be the first step which education institutions ought to take," he said.