Open Access Research Article

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM WALLS: A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE SUKDEB SAHA GUIDELINES ON STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH IN THE LIGHT OF COMPARATIVE JURISPRUDENCE

Author(s):
ARPIT MEENA KAUSHAL KISHOR MEENA RISHI VERMA
Journal IJLRA
ISSN 2582-6433
Access Open Access
Volume 3
Issue 7
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Abstract

In Sukdeb Saha v State of Andhra Pradesh, decided on 25 July 2025, the Supreme Court of India recognised mental health as an integral component of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution and, invoking its powers under Articles 32 and 141, issued fifteen binding guidelines to govern the conduct of every school, college, university, coaching centre and residential hostel in the country until Parliament or the State legislatures enact a comprehensive framework. This article analyses the guidelines by examining their principal features and their principal gaps. It argues that the guidelines represent a decisive shift from an individual-pathology model of student suicide to an institutional-ecology model, but that they remain structurally fragile because they impose duties without defining the duty-holders precisely, without resourcing them, and without specifying the consequences of breach. The article then examines how the United States, the United Kingdom and several European jurisdictions, together with the European Court of Human Rights and international human rights law, have allocated responsibility for student wellbeing. Drawing on that comparative experience, it proposes a set of reforms for India, including a central framework statute, a calibrated knowledge-triggered duty of care, enforceable service standards, equality-based accommodation of psychosocial disability, and an independent mechanism for investigating student deaths.

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Authors: ARPIT MEENA, KAUSHAL KISHOR MEENA & RISHI VERMARegistration ID: 1013335 | Published Paper ID: IJLRA13335, IJLRA13336 & IJLRA13337Year: Oct-2026 | Volume: 3 | Issue: 7Approved ISSN: 2582-6433 | Country: Delhi, IndiaPage No.: 871- 892

Article Information

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM WALLS: A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE SUKDEB SAHA GUIDELINES ON STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH IN THE LIGHT OF COMPARATIVE JURISPRUDENCE

Authors: ARPIT MEENA, KAUSHAL KISHOR MEENA, RISHI VERMA

  • Journal IJLRA
  • ISSN 2582-6433
  • Volume 3
  • Issue 7
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International Journal for Legal Research and Analysis

  • AbbreviationIJLRA
  • ISSN2582-6433
  • AccessOpen Access
  • LicenseCC 4.0

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