IIT-M directed to provide information for investigation into student death in March 2023

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) to provide information on the progress of the investigation into the alleged suicide of doctoral student Sachin Kumar Jain here on March 31, 2023.

The direction was given in a petition filed by Ishan Mata under Section 6 of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, seeking copies of the complaints against the deceased student’s supervisor/mentor/guardian received by the institute from the concerned families/friends/students. The petitioner also wanted a copy of the order appointing an inquiry committee along with details of all other documents (witness statements, response of the accused faculty member, action taken after submission of the committee’s report, etc.).

After the IIT-M refused to disclose information, the CIC ruled that the matter involved “elements of public interest” and directed the Chief Public Information Officer (CPIO) to share the latest information on the progress/status of the investigation. Information Commissioner Anandi Ramalingam also directed the authorities to release a copy of the report of the Committee of Inquiry/Enquiry/Investigation after the completion of the proceedings.

Denied the information he sought, Mr. Ishan Mata initially appealed to the First Appellate Authority, arguing that the CPIO’s response was “incomplete, incorrect and misleading.” He approached the Commission after the FAA confirmed the CPIO’s response. The complainant submitted that he had sought information on various aspects of an investigation into the alleged harassment that led to the PhD student’s suicide at IIT-M.

‘Mental health problems’

He expressed concern about the widespread bullying by superiors in India, referring in particular to the case of Sachin Kumar Jai, who tragically died, allegedly by suicide. Referring to national and international studies on bullying and mental health problems among PhD students, he stressed the need for transparency and accountability in academic institutions.

Mr. Ishan Mata said that such studies underlined the public interest in disclosing the information sought to address systemic problems in the academic sector and requested the Commission to direct the CPIO to disclose the information or, if any part of it was exempted, to provide the non-exempt parts under Section 10 of the RTI Act.

The CPIO defended the IIT-M’s decision, saying that the information was a “sensitive matter” and was pending investigation. Therefore, the information requested could not be provided at this stage. However, the CPIO confirmed that an internal inquiry committee had been set up and most of the recommendations and reports on action taken were in the public domain.

“Elements of public interest”

After examining the facts and circumstances of the case and hearing both sides, the CIC found that the matter involved elements of public interest and directed the CPIO to provide the complainant with updated information, namely a copy of the service order setting up the Committee and the progress/status of the Committee’s investigations so far.

While submitting the final investigation report, the CPIO was directed to use the severability clause to redact all third party information and personal information. The information sought should be shared in keeping with the spirit of transparency and accountability as enshrined in the RTI Act, 2005, the commission said.

After the death of Sachin Kumar Jain, his brother Bhavesh Jain wrote to the director of IIT-M, alleging that his brother was under “undue pressure” from his PhD supervisor Ashish Kumar Sen. A five-member inquiry committee was set up and based on the findings, the school administration suspended Mr. Sen, who was a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

(For help in overcoming suicidal thoughts, call Government Health Helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416 and Sneha’s Suicide Prevention Helpline 044-24640050.)