On Monday, the Delhi High Court expressed deep concern over the 2017 suicide of law student Sushant Rohilla at Amity University, attributing it to a systemic failure within the institution.
A Division Bench comprising Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Amit Sharma directed Indraprastha University, to which Amity Law School is affiliated, to assume responsibility and consider providing compensation to Rohilla’s family.
“The institution needs to adopt a broader perspective. We’re not placing blame on a single individual; this is clearly a systemic failure. When an institution faces such a failure, it must take responsibility,” the Court emphasized.
In response, the university’s counsel denied any culpability in the student’s death, arguing that Rohilla’s suicide letter did not implicate the institution and mentioned that the parents had lost touch with him.
However, the Court was unconvinced by this defense. Justice Singh strongly criticized the university’s stance, stating, “Are you seriously arguing this?… In such sensitive cases, you cannot take this approach. It’s unacceptable to cast blame on the parents… They are enduring the unimaginable loss of a child, not you.”
The Court also questioned the rigid attendance policies in both graduate and post-graduate programs, calling for a reassessment of these rules. It urged the Secretary of the Ministry of Education to organize a stakeholder consultation on whether mandatory attendance should be enforced in higher educational institutions across the country.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma, representing the Central government, acknowledged the need for a broader discussion on the issue and suggested that a committee should be formed to deliberate on it.
The Bench was hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) initiated in 2017 after Rohilla’s suicide. It was alleged that Rohilla, a BA LLB student at Amity University, had faced harassment from the institution and certain faculty members due to low attendance, which led to him being forced to repeat an academic year—a situation that allegedly contributed to his tragic decision.
