The Madras High Court Bench here on Wednesday directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to furnish by September 23 district-wise data of number of suicides committed by school and college students in the last five years due to pressure exerted by their parents and teachers to do well in academics.
Justice N. Kirubakaran also ordered that the details to be submitted before the court should contain the number of criminal complaints received by the police department across the State in the last five years accusing principals, teachers, professors and such others of having been the reason for student suicides.
The order was passed on a petition filed by former principal of a higher secondary school at Manathidal in Thanjavur district to quash a charge sheet filed against him by the police for having allegedly beaten a Class XI student, for not performing well in a class test, who later committed suicide by consuming poison. Observing that “it is a very serious matter and this kind of happenings is more now-a-days,” the judge said that the trend of students committing suicide due to pressure from parents and teachers was not good for the society at large.
“Many children are not allowed to mingle with other children and they are not allowed to have all the pleasures and pains of the life and only positive part of the life alone is exposed to them. Because of that, they are unable to face the reality when a difficult situation arises in life. “The pressure eventually drives them to commit suicide. This kind of trend has to be arrested and prevented. Hence, the Director General of Police is suo motu impleaded as third respondent to this case and he shall file a report on September 23,” the judge added.
