UGC New Rules Row: The newly notified Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026 by the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) have received massive backlash from political leaders, social media influencers, religious leaders, common public and general category students.
The attempts by UGC to strengthen safety measures against caste-based discrimination happening on educational institution campuses are now facing a powerful legal challenge both in and outside the Indian courts.
What Exactly Is The UGC New Rules Row?
On January 13, the UGC notified regulations that replace the anti-discrimination guidelines of 2012. The regulations mandate the creation of Equity Squads, Equity Committees, monitoring mechanisms and helplines in universities and colleges across the country.
These bodies would address discrimination complaints, especially those faced by members of the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class (SC, ST and OBC) communities.
Eminent Scientist, author and commentator Anand Ranganathan blasted the UGC regulations said that giving punishments to students from the general category for sins they never committed is not correcting justice but rather exacerbating it.
Petitions Against The Regulations
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant would be hearing two separate petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the UGC regulations.
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The petition argue that the Regulation 3(c) defined caste-based discrimination as discrimination only against students belonging to the SC, ST and OBC students and not of the general category, denying them no access to grievance redressal.
The second petition filed by SC advocate Vineet Jindal described the UGC provision as unconstitutional, arbitrary and beyond the powers of UGC under its parent law.
Jindal argued that limiting protection only to a selected few categories violate the constitutional guarantee of equality before the law.
Bahajun Samajwadi Party supremeo Mayawati has remarked that wider consultations should have happened before implementation of the UGC regulations to proactively avoid social tension. Mayawati made an appeal to Dalits and backward classes not to get provoked by statements from their own selfish and opportunistic leaders.
UP Congress President Ajay Rai also blasted the Central Government for dividing people through UGC. Many political parties and organizations such as the Karni Sena have called for a nationwide bandh on February 1.
