14 suicides this year: Rajasthan HC livid over failure to enact law regulating coaching institutes

Jaipur, May 14 (IANS) The Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday expressed strong displeasure over the state’s failure to enact a law regulating coaching institutes, despite ongoing discussions since 2019.

A division bench of Chief Justice M.M. Shrivastava and Justice Mukesh Rajpurohit criticised the inaction, especially in light of the alarming rise in student suicides -- 14 reported from January to May 8 this year. During the hearing, Advocate General Rajendra Prasad presented these figures.

The court, while noting that the Supreme Court is set to hear a related matter on May 23, scheduled the next hearing for two weeks later. The court had taken suo motu cognisance of the issue in 2016 following repeated suicides in Kota. Although a draft Coaching Regulation Bill was prepared and presented in the Assembly this year, it was later referred to a Select Committee due to opposition, particularly from BJP MLAs.

BJP’s Kalicharan Saraf had criticised the bill, warning that its current form could drive coaching institutes out of Rajasthan, affecting jobs and a Rs 60,000 crore industry. He argued for broader consultation, better representation in oversight committees, and inclusion of Central guidelines like alerting parents if a student remains absent for two days.

The High Court stressed the urgency of addressing mental health pressures on students and implementing regulations, stating that mere discussions without action serve no purpose. BJP MLA Gopal Sharma raised questions on the missing provisions of the central guidelines in the Coaching Regulation Bill. Sharma said If there is a double-engine government, then let's move together. The central guidelines have a provision for teaching coaching to children above 16 years of age. Why is this provision missing from this bill?

--IANS

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