Demand for CBI or SIT probe, monitoring by retired judge: Inside parents' plea before high court in IIT Bombay suicide case

They allege a professor humiliated and threatened their son, and seek judicial monitoring and preservation of CCTV footage.

The parents of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) student who died by suicide after he was allegedly caught copying in a mid-semester exam have moved the Bombay High Court seeking an investigation into their son’s death either by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a Special Investigation Team.

iMumbai, India - September 22, 2026: Parents of deceased IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode interact with the media outside the Bandra Crime Branch office in mumbai, India, on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

They have also sought orders for monitoring the probe by a retired high court judge and for preservation of CCTV footage on the day the boy died, and an inquiry into the disclosure of footage to the media. Their counsel, advocate Hitendra Gandhi, said the petition would be mentioned on Monday for urgent hearing.

The parents have sought orders for monitoring the probe by a retired high court judge and for preservation of CCTV footage on the day the boy died.

The student was found dead in his hostel room on September 18 hours after he was allegedly caught copying in the exam by his teacher and head of the department of energy science and engineering, professor Suryanarayan Doolla. The professor was also the invigilator of the exam.

The next day, Powai police registered a First Information Report (FIR ) under sections 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant provisions of the SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 against Doolla as well as as other institute officials. The Mumbai Crime Branch is currently investigating the death.

In their petition, the parents claim that Doolla had subjected their son to “mental torture” and his acts amounted to abetment of suicide. They claim he had referred to their son’s caste – Mahar. Their son had also claimed that Doolla had threatened to implicate him in a false case, according to the petition.

After allegedly catching the boy copying, Doolla “assumed the roles of investigator, prosecutor and judge”, the petition alleges. Under the rules, the professor was supposed to have confiscated any material, issued the student a fresh answer book and allowed him to resume writing. The matter was later required to be referred to an independent committee, followed by a notice, time to respond, right to appeal etc, the petition states.

Instead, Doolla escorted their son out of the examination hall and berated him there. He then took their son to the office of the head of department on the second floor, as the CCTV footage shows, where the boy was instructed to sit for about an hour, where he was questioned and forced to write an apology letter, the petition claims.

The boy was then allowed to return to his hostel room alone, where he was found dead within hours. “The proximity between the humiliation, the coerced apology, the threats and his death is direct and immediate,” the petition states.

Under the rules, possession of unauthorised material such as a mobile phone during an examination attracts an “FR” (fail) grade together with academic suspension for one semester, the petition adds.

The rules state that disciplinary action is to be implemented by disciplinary committees on a complaint; it gives no power to an invigilator to impose a penalty, it states.

Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.

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