New Delhi, May 15 (UNI) Taking strong exception to the four-day delay in filing FIR following the suicide committed by a student at IIT Kharagpur, the Supreme Court has directed the IIT official concerned and the Officer-in-Charge of the local police station to appear before it at the next hearing to explain the lapse.

A Bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan was hearing the matter as part of the ongoing proceedings addressing the alarming rise in student suicides in higher educational institutions. The Court had earlier issued detailed directions aimed at mental health reform and suicide prevention in academic settings.

The Bench expressed concern over the delayed action by the authorities, noting: "We are informed that the FIR was lodged four days after the student’s suicide, and that too only after this Court inquired on May 6 whether any FIR had been filed."

Mohammad Asif Qamar, a 22-year-old Civil Engineering student from Bihar’s Sheohar district, was found hanging in his hostel room at Madan Mohan Malaviya (M.M.M.) Hall on May 4. The FIR was only registered on May 8, after the court intervened.

The court asked, "Why was the FIR not filed on the same day as the incident? We want to hear from the IIT Kharagpur management the reason for this delay."

The Bench also examined a similar case involving an 18-year-old NEET aspirant in Kota, Rajasthan, who allegedly died by suicide just before the medical entrance exam scheduled on May 11. This marked the 14th suicide in Kota in 2025, with 17 student suicides reported in the previous year.

While the coaching centre’s counsel, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, claimed the student was staying with her parents and not under hostel care, the court questioned why the Kota Police had not suo motu registered an FIR, citing its earlier directions.

The Court ordered the Officer-in-Charge of the concerned police station in Kota to be present in the next hearing to explain the police’s inaction.

The Bench is also monitoring the functioning of the National Task Force (NTF) for student mental health, headed by Justice S.R. Bhat, and granted it an extension of eight weeks from July 24, 2025 to file its interim report. It also directed the Registry to disburse funds as needed for the Task Force’s operations.

The Court reiterated its directive to the Union Government to release Rs 20 lakhs already ordered earlier for the functioning of the NTF, emphasizing the urgency in addressing student mental health and suicide prevention in higher educational institutions (HEIs). UNI SNG SSP