CIC directs IITs to form high-level committees to curb student suicide deaths

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has expressed concern over the recurring student suicides across the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and directed the institutions to form high-level committees to recommend measures to prevent such deaths and mitigate the factors that contribute to them.

The direction came while disposing of appeals filed by Dheeraj Kumar Singh, an IIT-Kanpur alumnus and founder of a non-governmental organization (NGO) involved in student rehabilitation and mental health counselling.

Under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, Mr. Singh sought details regarding students, researchers and staff who ended their lives at IIT-Madras, IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Goa and IIT-Jodhpur since January 1, 2005.

He wanted information including age, gender, caste/category, academic program, native state, date of suicide and whether the death occurred on campus. Stating that the details were necessary for academic research, he said the names of the deceased could be withheld if necessary.

Details withheld

In response, IIT-Madras informed him that seven suicides had been reported from 2019 to 26 June 2025, but refused to disclose personal details such as age and caste, citing an exemption under Section 8(1)(a). j) of the Act on Personal Data. The first appeal body confirmed the decision. IIT-Kanpur informed the complainant that 17 suicides were reported between 2005 and 2025. Data provided by the institute showed that at least one suicide was reported each year during this period, with three cases recorded in 2024. However, it also withheld personal data of the deceased pursuant to § 8 paragraph 1 letter j).

Similarly, IIT-Goa refused to release the personal data, terming it as third-party information exempt from disclosure, while IIT-Jodhpur informed the applicant that no such cases had been reported. Aggrieved by the denial of full information, Mr. Singh appealed to the CIC. He argued that the information he requested was necessary to analyze the root causes of student suicides across factors such as age, gender and social class, and would help strengthen his organization’s mental health counseling programs for students facing academic and personal stress.

This information was essential to strengthen NGO programs to support and advise students. However, the IITs argued that publishing the age, caste and identity of the deceased students would violate the privacy of the individuals and their families.

Citing the Supreme Court’s judgment in Justice KS Puttaswamy (V.) v. Union of India, provisions of the Mental Health Act, 2017 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the institutions argued that such information constitutes protected personal data and cannot be disclosed unless there is an overriding public interest.

Central Information Commissioner Sudha Rani Relangi said the institutes have already provided information including number of deaths, date of occurrence, sex, place of birth and place of death, withholding names, age and caste/category for privacy reasons. The responses of the central public information officers were legally sustainable.

“Permanent Crisis”

However, the commission expressed concern over the continued incidence of suicides in IIT campuses.

Referring to the “persistent crisis” of multiple suicides reported every year across several IITs, particularly in campuses such as IIT-Kanpur and IIT-Kharagpur, she observed that there was an urgent need for institutions to strengthen preventive mechanisms.

The commission directed the IITs to form high-level committees, where not already formed, to identify and recommend measures to mitigate factors contributing to student suicides.

It also requested that information regarding the establishment of these committees be proactively published on the official websites of the institutes in accordance with the RTI Act. The direction was in line with the observations of the Supreme Court in the case of Kishan Chand Jain versus Union of India.

(Help to overcome suicidal thoughts is available on the state health line 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.

Published – 19 Jul 2026 22:49 IST