समाचार Samāchār · India · 5 November 2026

Centre weighs a panel to revisit UGC equity rules. Campuses stay on the 2012 norms

The Solicitor General told the Supreme Court on Thursday that the government is contemplating a committee. The 2026 regulations stay on hold and the case returns in four weeks.

The Centre has moved from reconsidering the UGC’s 2026 equity rules to talking of a committee. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Thursday: “The government is contemplating appointing a committee.” He said the aim is that no section feels dissatisfied or apprehensive.

The reports differ on how firm this is. LiveLaw says the Centre is considering a committee. ANI says it is setting one up. No composition or deadline has been reported. The Chief Justice stressed that the interests of every student must be protected. The court adjourned the matter for four weeks.

The rules have been on hold for over nine months. The UGC notified them in January to replace the 2012 framework. They require institutions to set up special committees and helplines for complaints from SC, ST and OBC students. On 29 January the court stayed them as prima facie vague and capable of misuse. It said the language defining caste-based discrimination “needs to be re-modified”. The 2012 rules apply until the court decides.

Both sides have a real case. General-category petitioners argue the definition is exclusionary and could allow discrimination against non-reserved students. Others defend targeted protection. The lead petition goes back to 2019. It was filed by the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi, who died by suicide after allegedly facing caste discrimination on campuses.

Seven years on, that petition is still open. A committee helps only if it has a deadline and a mandate that covers both fears. The next test is simple: who sits on it, and by when it reports.

What a founder takes from it: Every student needs protection from discrimination, and a rule needs words precise enough to deliver it. Anyone running a campus should keep the 2012 duties working now and be ready for a redraft.