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SC stays new UGC bill on caste discrimination | What were the new rules and why were they met with protests?
The top court further noted that the new regulations had the potential to divide society and have "dangerous impacts" if misused.
The Supreme Court of India on Thursday stayed a new regulation for the University Grants Commission (UGC), which was meant to tackle the surge in caste-based discrimination on university campuses, colleges, etc.
The matter, which was heard by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, stayed the order and issued notices to the Centre and UGC regarding the definition used in the regulation for caste-based discrimination.
The top court further noted that the new regulations had the potential to divide society and have "dangerous impacts" if misused.
With a stay in place, the court has directed the UGC to continue using the 2012 anti-discrimination regulations so that complainants still have access to grievance portals and remedies.
Also Read | SC stays UGC’s 2026 equity regulations, warns of social division and misuse
The Supreme Court's order comes after massive protests broke out from students from the "general category" regarding the lack of inclusion in the new bill.
Students also stated that the new regulations could lead to a variety of false cases and accusations and that there are no safeguards in place for affected students.
UGC Bill - What were the new rules?
The newly notified Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026, proposes a comprehensive set of anti-discrimination rules for colleges, universities and other higher-education institutions in India.
Under this rule, all universities will be required to create Equity Committees, Equity Squads and helplines. These bodies would also be required to address complaints of discrimination, especially those faced by Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class (SC, ST, OBC) students.
The rules were framed after a order was issued by the Supreme Court after a plea sought effective implementation of the 2012 guidelines. This petition was also filed by the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi, two students who died by suicide due to caste-based discrimination on campus.
Why the outrage?
The framework sparked outrage amongst the upper-caste and general category students. Following the notification, two petitions were also presented before the Supreme Court, which called for the recall of the new rules or modification to them in a manner that tackles discrimination, irrespective of caste, sex and religion.
One of the petitions fled before the top court said that by limiting the scope of "caste-based discrimination" only to SC, ST and OBC categories, the UGC has effectively denied institutional protection and grievance redressal to individuals belonging to the "general" or non-reserved categories who may also face harassment or bias based on their caste identity.
Many students also protested outside the UGC headquarters in Delhi, demanding a rollback of the rules.
Speaking to PTI, Alokit Tripathi, a PhD student from Delhi University, said that the new rules will create complete chaos in colleges as the burden of proof will now be completely shifted onto the accused.
Despite assurances from Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the protests continued.
“I want to humbly assure everyone (that) no one is going to face any harassment. There will be no discrimination and no one will have the right to misuse the regulation in the name of discrimination,” Pradhan told reporters.
The protests also reached the UP city of Bareilly where suspended City Magistrate Alankar Agnihotri escalated he matter and stated that new rules had sparked outrage amongst Brahmin organisations in India.
Reactions to SC order
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav was among the people who welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to stay the recent Equity Regulations of the University Grants Commission. Taking to X, the UP leader said true justice lies in ensuring that no one is subjected to oppression or unfairness.
In UP's Lucknow, students from Lucknow University welcomed the order, terming it a "victory for students".
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari also hailed the top court's order. Speaking to ANI, Tiwari said, "The Government's job is to ensure peace, but they ignite fire in the name of religion, caste, so that people's attention gets diverted from real issues. I thank the Supreme Court for this order."
(With inputs from HT correspondents, PTI, ANI)
