Scoring good marks not the most important thing in life: Delhi HC tells IITs
A bench of justice Rajnish Bhatnagar was of the view that the most significant way to instill this into the young minds was by teaching them to prioritise their physical and mental health
Expressing concern over growing cases of student suicides, the Delhi high court has urged the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to make conscious efforts to encourage students and make them understand that scoring good marks is not the most important thing in life and they can give their best without succumbing to the stress of performing better.
A bench of justice Rajnish Bhatnagar was of the view that the most significant way to instill this into the young minds was by teaching them to prioritise their physical and mental health.
“It is high time that the faculty as well as other staff members of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) make conscious efforts and take endeavors to counsel, encourage, motivate and invigorate the students of utmost priority to make the young minds understand that though scoring good marks and performing your best is important but it is not the most important thing in life and one can certainly give his/her best without succumbing to the pressures or stress of performing better,” the judge said in the January 30 order.
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The court in the order uploaded on Thursday said, “The most significant way of instilling this into young minds who face challenges every day in the professional and competitive environment of colleges is by teaching them in the very same campus where they spend years of their students’ lives, the values of prioritising their health, be it physical or mental, which will also give them the confidence to face every challenge in life.”
The court was listening to a plea filed by the parents of two IIT Delhi students belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) community who had allegedly died by suicide seeking registration of an FIR (first information report) and probe into the caste-based atrocities that were being committed in the institution.
The parents had alleged that their children faced caste-based discrimination by the faculty.
The parents, appearing through advocate Mehmood Pracha submitted that the police personnel were not registering FIRs due to their indifferent and callous attitude, despite the serious allegations made by the family members.
Delhi Police appearing through additional standing counsel Rupali Bandhopadhya had submitted a status report stating that a thorough and detailed enquiry was conducted into both the cases and it was found that no complaint was ever given by any of the deceased students to the police, SC/ST Cell of IIT Delhi or to any of their friends in campus regarding any caste-based discrimination being faced by them.
The report also stated that statements of family and friends of the deceased were recorded, several other students of IIT, Delhi belonging to SC and Scheduled Tribes were also examined and none of them reported any caste-based discrimination taking place in the campus.
Though the court remarked that devastating circumstances had resulted in the end of the academic career of two brilliant students, it refused to order an impartial probe or direct registration of FIR, after taking note of the status report, saying that mandamus cannot be issued in a routine manner merely based on sympathy or sentiments.
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