The Supreme Court said that suicides are happening because of parents while hearing the petition. How can the court pass directions in such circumstances? Mumbai resident Dr Anirudh Narayan had filed a public interest petition in the Supreme Court regarding the suicide of students. Mumbai-based doctor Anirudh Narayan Malpani has filed this petition through lawyer Mohini Priya.
The Court on Monday said tough competition and parental pressure on children preparing for competitive exams is the main reason for the increasing number of suicides across the country.
The Supreme Court held parents responsible
The Supreme Court held the parents of children responsible for the increasing incidents of suicide among students. The Court on Monday (November 20) said that it is not appropriate to blame coaching centres for the increasing suicides among students as the expectations of parents are motivating children to kill themselves.
The court has made this comment mainly regarding the increasing suicides of students in Kota, Rajasthan. It is noteworthy that this year about 24 suicides have been reported in the Kota district of Rajasthan.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna refused to consider a plea seeking a law to regulate private coaching centres and set a standard for them, saying, “The problem is with the parents, not with the coaching institutes”.
Justice SVN Bhatti, who was part of the bench, said that these suicides are not happening because of the coaching institute, but because children are unable to live up to the expectations of their parents.
Parents have expectations from children
The bench said, “Most of us do not want coaching institutes. But look at the conditions of schools. There is tough competition and students have no other option but to go to these coaching institutes. At the same time, parents also have high expectations from their children”.
The Supreme Court’s suggestions to the petitioner
The court suggested the petitioner either approach the Rajasthan High Court in the matter because most of the suicide incidents mentioned in the petition are related to Kota. Supreme Court also suggested giving a representation to the Central Government on how to make a law on this issue. On this, lawyer Priya sought permission to withdraw the petition and indicated that the petitioner would like to present a representation.
About 8.2% of students in the country die by suicide.
Referring to the 2020 data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Priya said that according to this, about 8.2% of students in the country die by suicide. The bench said that they knew the situation, but the court could not pass directions. The bench suggested that the petitioner approach the government with his suggestions. Priya sought permission to withdraw the petition to approach the appropriate forum, which was allowed by the court.