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Synopsis

Amid the recent student suicides at NLU Delhi, the Delhi High Court closed a plea seeking the formation of an independent inquiry committee into the incidents. The petition was filed in the wake of the suicides of three NLU Delhi students in the last three months.

The division bench comprising Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Shalinder Kaur, while disposing of the said petition, said, "Having considered the above, we are of the opinion that adequate steps have been taken by respondent no. 2 for the present. We do not, therefore, deem it appropriate to issue further directions in this petition at this stage. 6."

"However, in case the petitioner finds that adequate remedial measures have not been taken or implemented, it shall be open to the petitioner to approach this Court for further relief," it added.

During the proceedings, the counsel appearing for NLU Delhi argued that the causes of these unfortunate incidents have been investigated and that no direct nexus with the university or its curriculum has been found.

It was further submitted that in the wake of the incident, an emergent meeting of the governing council was held on 19 October, and various measures were agreed to be taken to detect such unfortunate incidents and prevent them promptly.

In response to these unfortunate incidents, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by one Aditya Singh Tomar, highlighting three student suicides that have taken place at NLU Delhi.

The PIL had sought direction to make an independent inquiry committee, comprising mental health experts, educationists, and legal experts, to investigate the causes behind the student suicides at NLU Delhi.

It also called for directions for the NLU Delhi to establish and enforce mental health policies following national guidelines, including the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, NEP 2020 principles, and UGC regulations. The PIL further sought the establishment of 24/7 mental health counselling services, peer support networks, and regular mental health check-ups for students.

In addition to this, it also urged for evaluation of the curriculum of NLU Delhi in order to assess its impact on the mental health of students. Lastly, the PIL urged the court to hold the university administration accountable for any lapses and order appropriate compensation to the families of the deceased students.

For Petitioner: Mr. Abhishek Sharma, Mr. Parvinder Singh Sandhu and Mr. Arun Shukla, Advs. with petitioner in person.For Respondents: Mr. Kirtiman Singh, CGSC with Mr. Waize, Mr. Maulik Khurana, Mr. Ranjeev Khatana and Mr. Varun Pratap, Advs. for R-1. Mr. Sanjay Vashishtha, St. counsel with Ms. Vasudha Saini and Ms. Harshita Rai, Advs. for NLUD/R-2.

Case Title: W.P.(C) 15226/2024 ADITYA SINGH TOMAR v UNION OF INDIA & ANR