STUDENT SUICIDES AND EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE : A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF INDIA AND THE UNITED STATES
AUTHOR – AYUSH SONI* & DIVYANSH AWASTHI**
* STUDENT, AIE, AMITY UNIVERSITY, UTTAR PRADESH, LUCKNOW CAMPUS.
** STUDENT, AIRS, AMITY UNIVERSITY, UTTAR PRADESH, LUCKNOW CAMPUS.
BEST CITATION – AYUSH SONI & DIVYANSH AWASTHI, STUDENT SUICIDES AND EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE : A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF INDIA AND THE UNITED STATES, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (1) OF 2026, PG. 202-211, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344. DOI – https://doi.org/10.65393/CHZP1225
ABSTRACT
Student suicides have become a major concern in both India and the United States, highlighting the critical need for institutional accountability in protecting the rights, dignity, and welfare of students. Education must be viewed as a place of justice and safety in addition to knowledge. These tragic incidents are frequently connected to academic stress, systemic discrimination, bullying, and administrative neglect. Although student mental health has been the subject of numerous studies, very few have examined the matter from a comparative, legal-educational perspective, resulting in a knowledge gap regarding how various systems handle such crises. This study seeks to address that gap by analyzing significant case studies from India such as the suicide cases of Rohith Vemula and Darshan Solanki, as well as students in Kota coaching hubs and also including the well-known cases of Megan Meier and Phoebe Prince in the United States. This study adopts a qualitative, case-based comparative methodology to examine how legal frameworks, institutional practices, and cultural contexts shape responses to student vulnerability. The results show that although the US has stronger policies, consistency and implementation are issues, whereas India suffers from fragmented frameworks and poor enforcement. This study emphasizes how institutions must strengthen their institutional accountability through grievance redressal, mental health support, and anti-discrimination measures by incorporating comparison tables and discussions. The study concludes that preventing student suicides is not merely a welfare issue but a constitutional and human rights imperative, with significant implications for building safer, equitable, and justice-oriented educational environments worldwide.
KEYWORDS:Academic Pressure, Educational Justice, Institutional Accountability, Mental Health, Student Suicide