Supreme Court stays UGC equity regulations amid protests, flags vagueness; 2012 rules to continue for now

The Supreme Court on Thursday put a stay on the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, amid widespread protests and criticism across the country.

The regulations, notified on January 23, were challenged by several petitioners who argued that the rules were vague, exclusionary and discriminatory, and violated both the Constitution and the University Grants Commission Act, 1956.

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While staying the new framework, the court said that the 2012 UGC regulations will continue to remain in force for now. The bench flagged serious concerns over Regulation 3(c), which deals with caste-based discrimination, observing that the provision lacks clarity and could be misused. The court said the language of the regulation needs to be revised.

The new 2026 rules were framed to tackle caste-based discrimination on college and university campuses. As per the regulations, institutions are required to set up dedicated committees and helplines so students, especially those from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), can report complaints.

But the move also sparked sharp resistance. Many general category students said the framework could end up sidelining them, arguing that the rules focus on some groups while offering no clear safeguards or representation for others.

Protesters argued that the regulations did not provide any mandatory representation or safeguards for students from the general category.

On Wednesday, students, mostly from the general category, staged a protest at Delhi University’s North Campus, demanding that the new rules be withdrawn. Similar protests were also reported from Lucknow, where students gathered outside Lucknow University, raising slogans against the UGC policies.

Amid the backlash, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan attempted to reassure students, saying the regulations would not be misused. “I assure everyone there will be no discrimination, and no one can misuse the law,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

The controversy also spilled into political circles. Shyam Sundar Tripathi, vice-president of the BJP Kisan Morcha from Rae Bareli’s Salon constituency, resigned from his post, citing dissatisfaction with the new UGC policies. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he described the regulations as divisive and said he could not support what he termed an unfair law.

The Supreme Court will hear the matter further on March 19.