Question 1

Educational institutions can handle student suicides via internal disciplinary committees before notifying the police.

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court explicitly mandated that HEIs have a legal and moral obligation to promptly lodge an FIR with appropriate authorities whenever a suicide occurs, overriding any internal procedures.

Question 2

Since suicide is a crime, the FIR is registered against the deceased student.

Accepted Answer

The FIR is registered to investigate unnatural death and potential abetment to suicide (under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita), as Section 115 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 created a presumption of severe stress, effectively decriminalizing the attempt.

Question 3

Consider the following statements regarding the Supreme Court's guidelines on campus suicides: 1. Under the Lalita Kumari guidelines, the police are bound to register an FIR if the information discloses a cognizable offense, a principle reinforced for campus suicides. 2. The mandate for immediate FIR registration applies only to incidents occurring within the physical boundaries of the university campus. 3. The Supreme Court mandated that Higher Educational Institutions must submit an annual report of student suicides to the University Grants Commission or relevant regulatory bodies. How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

(b) Only two — Statement 1 is correct; the Lalita Kumari case established the mandatory registration of FIRs for cognizable offenses. Statement 2 is incorrect; the SC explicitly stated the mandate applies to campuses, off-campus hostels, private accommodations, and even online/distance learning. Statement 3 is correct; annual reporting to UGC, AICTE, NMC, etc., is now mandatory.

Question 4

Match the following legal/historical elements with their corresponding context regarding student welfare in India: List I: A. Section 173 of BNSS, B. Section 108 of BNS, C. Justice A.K. Roopanwal Commission, D. Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. List II: 1. Effectively decriminalized the attempt to commit suicide, 2. Constituted to inquire into the circumstances of Rohith Vemula's death, 3. Deals with the registration of Information to the police, 4. Pertains to the offense of abetment of suicide.

Accepted Answer

(a) A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1 — Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) replaced Section 154 CrPC concerning the registration of FIRs (A-3). Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) covers abetment of suicide (B-4). The Justice A.K. Roopanwal Commission investigated Rohith Vemula's suicide (C-2). The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 created a presumption of severe stress, effectively decriminalizing suicide (D-1).

Question 5

Assertion (A): The Supreme Court mandated that Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) must immediately register an FIR upon a student's suicide without conducting a preliminary internal inquiry. Reason (R): The Lalita Kumari judgment restricts preliminary inquiries in cases where the information ex-facie discloses the commission of a cognizable offense, such as potential abetment to suicide.

Accepted Answer

(a) Both A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation of A. — The assertion is true as the SC mandated immediate FIR registration by HEIs to prevent cover-ups. The reason is also true and correctly explains the assertion: under the Lalita Kumari framework, if a cognizable offense (like abetment under Section 108 BNS) is suspected in an unnatural death, the police must register an FIR immediately without allowing the institution to delay the process via internal probes.

SC Mandates FIRs for Campus Suicides

GI Tags for Meerut Gajak and Nattu Sakkarai