Supreme Court issues binding student mental health guidelines for educational institutions

In Sukdeb Saha v. State of Andhra Pradesh, decided on 25 July 2025, the Supreme Court of India issued 15 guidelines on student mental health that bind all educational institutions, including coaching centres. They remain in force until legislation or a regulatory framework replaces them.

What happened

The judgment, 2025 INSC 893, was delivered by Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta in a criminal appeal arising from the death of a 17-year-old student preparing for NEET in Visakhapatnam. The Court described mental health as part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution and, exercising its powers under Article 141, issued guidelines that are binding until appropriate legislation or regulation is enacted.

Among the 15 guidelines, every educational institution must adopt a mental health policy, drawing on the UMMEED draft guidelines, the MANODARPAN initiative and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, review it annually and publish it. Institutions with 100 or more enrolled students must appoint or engage at least one qualified counsellor, psychologist or social worker with demonstrable training in child and adolescent mental health; smaller institutions must set up formal referral links with external professionals.

All teaching and non-teaching staff must be trained at least twice a year by certified mental health professionals in psychological first aid, warning signs, response to self-harm and referral. Institutions must keep written referral protocols and display suicide helpline numbers, including Tele-MANAS, in hostels, classrooms, common areas and on their websites.

The Court asked States and Union Territories, as far as practicable, to notify rules for private coaching centres within two months, directed the formation of district-level monitoring committees, and required the Union of India to file a compliance affidavit within 90 days.

Why it matters

For schools, colleges and coaching centres, the guidelines set a minimum standard for counselling provision, staff training and referral that applies now, without waiting for legislation. Counsellors and wellbeing staff working in these settings should expect their roles and referral pathways to be measured against it.

The guidelines describe the professional who must be engaged as a "qualified counsellor, psychologist, or social worker with demonstrable training in child and adolescent mental health". They do not define that qualification further.

What happens next

The Court framed the guidelines as interim measures running alongside the work of the National Task Force on Mental Health Concerns of Students, and said they would inform and assist the Task Force in developing a more comprehensive framework. The matter was listed for the compliance report on 27 October 2025; later orders should be checked on the Supreme Court’s website.

Source

• Supreme Court of IndiaSukdeb Saha v. State of Andhra Pradesh, 2025 INSC 893, judgment dated 25 July 2025