Supreme Court Addresses Rising Suicide Cases, Grants Four Weeks for Comprehensive Centre Response

The Supreme Court has given the Centre four weeks to file a comprehensive reply to a PIL on effective implementation of suicide prevention programs. The court's move comes after rising suicide cases, especially among youth, were highlighted. The plea calls for adherence to the Mental Healthcare Act and setting up support mechanisms.

The Supreme Court has identified the increasing instances of suicide as a pressing social issue, granting the Centre four weeks to respond comprehensively to a PIL advocating for the robust implementation of a public health strategy aimed at suicide prevention and reduction. The bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, requested a detailed affidavit after lawyer and petitioner Gaurav Kumar Bansal stressed the urgency of the situation.

During the hearing, the petition underscored the alarming statistics provided by Delhi Police, indicating 140 suicide cases among children under 18 years between 2014 and 2018. The plea argued that the government's failure to draft and implement an efficient public health program violates the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, and Article 21 of the Constitution.

The petitioner called on state and Union territories to establish support systems, such as helplines, and demanded status reports on suicide prevention efforts. Highlighting a WHO report, Bansal emphasized the vulnerability of young people, with suicide being the second leading cause of death globally for those aged 15 to 29.