Injecting caste into the campus
Before diving into the raging UGC controversy gripping the nation, I would like to share a personal note as a teacher-one that I often repeat to my students.
Before diving into the raging UGC controversy gripping the nation, I would like to share a personal note as a teacher-one that I often repeat to my students.
The suspended City Magistrate of Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh, who recently made headlines after resigning from his post, met Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati at Vidya Math in Kedar Ghat on Sunday evening.
“The government is committed to ensuring justice for all,” BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi told media persons on a question regarding the regulation.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the operation of the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, and said that certain political groups were indulging in 'dirty politics' over the issue.
The University Grants Commission’s Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026 marks a decisive shift in how caste -based discrimination on campuses is addressed.
He said the apex court’s decision to put the new UGC regulations on hold and to constitute a committee of experts and scholars to examine the matter is a step in the right direction.
"The language of the law should be clear, and so should its intent. It's not just about rules, but also about intentions. There should be no oppression, no injustice, no cruelty or excess, and no unfairness towards anyone," he averred while reacting to the Supreme Court's ruling on the UGC issue.
The challenge to the UGC’s equity regulations was mentioned for urgent listing before a Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, who indicated that the Court was aware of the controversy surrounding the newly notified framework.
The protesters demanded the withdrawal of the "Regulations for the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions, 2026." The doctors argued that this policy could promote caste-based inequality rather than increase equality on campus.
However, the BSP chief also noted that the situation could have been handled better.
