vrushangshah93@gmail.com UGC New Rules:
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has made new rules in 2026 named “Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026.” These meant to prevent caste discrimination in universities and colleges.
According to the rules, an equity committee will have to be formed in every university and college. This committee will listen to the complaints of SC, ST and OBC students and resolve them within the stipulated time.
It is necessary to have SC-ST, OBC, Divyang and women in the committee. The committee’s job is to create a level playing field on campus and implement schemes for backward class students.
In these rules, there is no mention of the general category which created a spark.
What is the UGC controversy?
Since the announcement, the regulations have drawn protests, political reactions and a wider debate over how they will be interpreted on campuses. Much of the controversy has centred on two things: the breadth of the rules, and the speed with which they have been made enforceable.
At the core of the 2026 regulations is an expanded definition of discrimination. It includes unfair treatment based on caste, tribe, religion, gender, disability, race or place of birth. Both direct and indirect discrimination are covered under the rules.
Why did these rules come into force?
To prevent discrimination there rules come into force.
These rules have come on the orders of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had asked the UGC to make new strict rules in 8 weeks during the hearing of cases like Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi in 2025.
Payal Tadvi of Mumbai Medical College and Rohith Vemula of Hyderabad University and committed suicide after being allegedly subjected to caste harassment.
In these cases, their mothers had filed PILs. The court had asked the UGC to update the old rules of 2012 and create a strong system to prevent discrimination.
What’s the report behind it?
The UGC had submitted a report to the Supreme Court, According to the report, complaints of caste-based discrimination in higher educational institutions increased from 173 in 2017-18 to 378 in 2023-24.
These figures are from the UGC’s own data, which were given to the Parliament Committee and the Supreme Court.
More than 90% of the complaints were settled, but the pending cases also increased. From 18 in 2019-20 to 108 cases in 2023-24.
Reason for protest?
Students of the general category i.e. upper caste students are protesting against the new rules. They allege that these rules are against the upper castes.
The rules only talk about discrimination against SC, ST and OBC. General category students have not been considered victims of discrimination, which is being protested.
Complaint handling and monitoring
Institutions are required to put in place systems to receive, record and address complaints related to discrimination. Regular monitoring and internal reporting mechanisms are mandatory under the regulations
Accountability of university leadership
The guidelines place responsibility for implementation on institutional heads, including vice-chancellors and principals. They are required to ensure compliance and submit reports as prescribed by the UGC.
Penalties for non-compliance
The regulations are enforceable. Institutions that fail to comply may face penalties such as denial of approval for academic programmes, exclusion from UGC schemes or withdrawal of recognition.
UGC’s Stand
The UGC has cited official data indicating a rise in reported cases of caste-based discrimination in higher education over the past few years, noting that reported cases rose more than 100% between 2019-20 and 2023-24. Officials have maintained that the intent of the regulations is preventive and corrective, not punitive.
The UGC guidelines row is now set to take a more aggressive turn, as students from upper-caste communities have announced a protest outside the University Grants Commission headquarters on January 27.
Calling for unity amid the growing controversy, student groups have appealed to their peers to gather in large numbers to register their opposition to the new rules.
While the government has described the rules as a step towards improving fairness and accountability in higher education, critics argue that they could deepen social divisions and create new challenges on campuses.
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