The Supreme Court’s recent judgment in Sukdeb Saha v. State of Andhra Pradesh is more than a legal milestone — it’s a turning point for our society. By declaring mental health as an integral component of the Right to Life under Article 21, the Court has sent a clear message: mental health is not optional, not secondary, and not a luxury. It is a right as fundamental as breathing, eating, or sleeping.

But laws and judgments alone cannot transform realities. The true change will begin in our schools.

Why Schools Are the First Line of Defense

Children spend a majority of their formative years in classrooms. This is where they learn to read, write, and calculate — but it is also where they first learn about friendships, self-worth, competition, failure, and identity. If emotional skills are not taught alongside academic ones, we leave students unprepared for life’s challenges.

Imagine a school where:

• Talking to a psychologist is as normal as going to the doctor’s office.
   
• Students are taught how to feel, name, and express their emotions without shame.
   
• Emotional regulation is a subject just as important as Math or Science.
   
• Asking for help is celebrated, not stigmatized.

Such a culture can prevent countless tragedies, especially in a country battling rising rates of student stress, exam anxiety, and suicides.

Psychologists in Every School: A Need, Not a Luxury

The Supreme Court’s guidelines already direct schools with 100+ students to appoint counsellors or mental health professionals. But we must go beyond compliance — we must embrace this as a core philosophy of education.

A trained school psychologist can:

• Identify early signs of distress in children.
   
• Teach age-appropriate strategies for handling anger, grief, disappointment, and peer pressure.
   
• Provide safe spaces where students can open up without fear of judgment.
   
• Support teachers and parents in creating emotionally healthy learning environments.

If every school had such professionals, we wouldn’t just be teaching children to pass exams — we’d be teaching them to live, to cope, and to thrive.

Emotional Regulation: A Life Skill Every Child Deserves

From the very first day in school, children should be taught the basics of emotional literacy:

• How do I recognize when I’m sad, anxious, or angry?
   
• How do I express these feelings in healthy ways?
   
• How do I regulate my emotions instead of suppressing them?
   
• How do I seek help when I feel overwhelmed?

These skills are no less important than multiplication tables or grammar. In fact, without them, even the brightest students may falter under the weight of pressure.

Just as we normalize physical check-ups, vaccinations, and doctor visits, we must normalize mental health check-ins. A child who learns that going to a psychologist is as ordinary as going to a dentist will grow into an adult who values self-care, empathy, and resilience.

If Implemented Well: The Ripple Effect

If schools across India implement this judgment in spirit, the ripple effects will be transformative:

• Lower rates of student burnout and suicide.
   
• Healthier classrooms where kindness and empathy are prioritized.
   
• Emotionally intelligent future leaders who can regulate themselves and support others.
   
• A society where mental health is not whispered about in corners, but spoken of openly and proudly.

It’s time we stop treating emotional wellbeing as an afterthought. It must be woven into the very fabric of education, from day one. Because a child who learns to regulate emotions today will grow into an adult who can build a healthier, more compassionate tomorrow.

If doctors are normalized, psychologists must be too. Mental health care should be as routine as a health check-up, as natural as brushing your teeth. That’s how we honor the Supreme Court’s vision — and more importantly, that’s how we protect the next generation.