New Delhi: The Supreme Court has criticised the Rajasthan government for regular suicides among Kota students, describing the number as a “serious matter”. Both justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan spotted the 14 suicides in the city so far. They wondered what steps the government has taken to address the issue. Why are young children dying, and what is happening in Kota that others don’t experience? Has anyone examined the reasons behind this?
Being known as a centre for JEE and NEET training, Kota faces excessive school pressure. At the hearing, the court said two recent cases above all—the death of a young IIT Kharagpur student by suicide and the death of an NEET aspirant living in Kota-were the most significant.
The judges were annoyed that police often failed to register FIRs quickly when an offence against children or women had been reported. This pointed out police’s negligence. On May 8th, four days after the incident, an FIR was filed in the IIT Kharagpur case. The court said, “These are issues that should be considered very seriously. Being completely focused is absolutely necessary in medicine.
Police Being Criticised for Their Lack of Action
The Supreme Court said the absence of an FIR in the NEET aspirant’s case showed the Rajasthan government did not follow its ruling from March 2024. You have disobeyed our orders. Please explain why an FIR was not registered in this case,” the court enquired. Jung says the girl has lived with her parents since November 2024, not in a coaching hostel, but the law required the investigation to proceed anyway.
The judge called for the Kota police station officer to explain the blunder on July 14. In their decision, the judge said, “The responsible officer did not take responsibility and ignored this court’s guidelines.”
The Rajasthan government informed the court of the suicides. Nevertheless, the court pointed out that the administration was not doing enough, asking, “How many young lives have been lost in Kota?” After hearing about the fourteen cases, the justices repeated, “Why are people still dying?” The court pointed out the National Task Force established in March 2024 to tackle student mental health and suicide prevention issues, explaining that its thorough report has not yet been released.
In the past two years, Kota has faced 26 suicides in 2023 and 17 more in 2024. This year, three JEE and two NEET aspirants were among the five students who passed away. Students say long coaching sessions and strict schedules add to their stress.
The Supreme Court encouraged police to lodge a police complaint quickly and properly investigate such cases. The ruling in March 2024 mandated the formation of a National Task Force to prevent such accidents.
As a result of the crisis, the Rajasthan government introduced the Rajasthan Coaching Centre (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2025, to manage coaching institutes and give more importance to students’ welfare. In addition, the state established safety requirements for hostels and paid guest accommodations in 2023, including spring-loaded ceiling fans, to assist students’ mental health.
The court’s attention comes at a time when other events, like the recent killing of a Royal Bengal Tiger in Assam by villagers, remind us of how extra stress can make mental health deteriorate in Kota for students continuing to face tough pressure.
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