SC agrees to hear plea against UGC's equity regulations
What's the story
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition challenging the University Grants Commission (UGC)'s new regulations aimed at preventing caste discrimination in educational institutions. The plea, filed by Rahul Dewan and others, was mentioned before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant for urgent listing. The guidelines have been challenged for not allowing 'general category' students to complain under its grievance redressal mechanism. "We know what's happening. Make sure defects are cured. We will list it," CJI Kant said.
Regulation details
UGC's regulations mandate formation of equity committees
Notified on January 13, the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, applies to all higher educational institutions in India. Its objective is to "eradicate discrimination only on the basis of religion, race, gender, place of birth, caste, or disability, particularly against the members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, socially and educationally backward classes, economically weaker sections, persons with disabilities...and to promote full equity and inclusion amongst the stakeholders in higher education institutions."
Committees
What the plea arguesÂ
The regulations require higher education institutions to create Equal Opportunity Centers and Equity Committees to ensure the successful implementation of policies and programs for disadvantaged groups, as well as to investigate discrimination complaints. However, the petition before the Supreme Court argues that the norms are exclusionary since they limit grievance redressal and institutional protection to people who do not belong to the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) or Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories.
Exclusion argument
Plea argues regulations exclude 'general category' students
The plea argues this selective framework condones unchecked hostility against non-reserved categories, making the regulations a tool for division instead of equity. The petitioners have sought directions to restrain the implementation of these regulations in their current form. The petition also seeks a declaration that denying access to grievance redressal mechanisms based on caste identity is "impermissible state discrimination."
Public backlash
Protests against UGC regulations across the country
The regulations have sparked protests across the country, with dominant-caste members alleging they are one-sided and would be used against them in educational institutions. Student groups and organizations have also demanded an immediate rollback of these rules. On Tuesday, the government asserted that the new regulations to check caste bias would not be "misused" and there would be no discrimination against anyone.