Now Reading: Centre reconsiders UGC equity rules, Supreme Court adjourns hearing
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Centre reconsiders UGC equity rules, Supreme Court adjourns hearing
The Union government on Thursday told the Supreme Court it is reconsidering the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed a bench…
The Union government on Thursday told the Supreme Court it is reconsidering the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant that the rules were under review and sought deferral of the court's formulation of questions. The court adjourned the matter for four weeks.
The 2026 regulations were framed after a 2019 PIL by Radhika Vemula and Abeda Salim Tadvi, mothers of Rohit Vemula and Payal Tadvi who died by suicide after facing caste discrimination in campuses. The court had stayed the rules in January, observing they were vague and prone to misuse.
Senior advocate Indira Jaising, representing the mothers, urged the court to fix a timeline for the government's decision. The bench declined to hear arguments and will take up the case next after four weeks. The regulations have been challenged by some petitioners who say they discriminate against general category students.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The 2026 UGC Regulations were born from the 2019 PIL after the suicides of Rohit Vemula and Payal Tadvi, making them deeply personal for the petitioners. The real battle is between two interpretations: non-reserved category groups argue the rules discriminate against them, while Dalit-Bahujan groups see a rollback as a blow to campus equity. Key to watch is whether the government's reconsideration tightens or dilutes Regulation 3(1)(c)'s definition of caste-based discrimination. The next hearing in four weeks will signal which direction the Centre leans.
Source: livelaw.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
