Mental Health as a Fundamental Right: An Analysis of the Supreme Court's July 2025 Verdict and the IIT Kharagpur Case

This research article examines the implications of the Supreme Court of India’s landmark July 2025 judgment recognising mental health as an integral component of the right to life, through the lens of a recent case involving a Scheduled Caste (SC) student at IIT Kharagpur. The student sought transfer to IIT Delhi to access affordable mental health care at AIIMS Delhi, highlighting systemic gaps in institutional mental health support. Using a qualitative case study approach grounded in rehabilitation psychology, the paper analyses the legal, ethical, and policy dimensions of mental health rights in educational institutions. The study integrates the Biopsychosocial Model, Rights-Based Framework, and Person-Centred Approach to propose a comprehensive understanding of institutional obligations, access equity, and therapeutic interventions. It concludes by outlining policy reforms, legal safeguards, and future research directions to strengthen mental health accessibility in academic settings. This article contributes to the discourse on mental health jurisprudence, rehabilitation psychology, and the creation of inclusive, rights-based educational environment