Name: Sunil Kumar S
Country: India

Year: 2026
Volume: Volume-16, Issue-1 (Special Issue: March 2026)
Page Number: 195-200
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19184252

ABSTRACT
In January 2026, the University Grants Commission (UGC) notified the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026 (hereafter “UGC Equity Regulations 2026”) with the stated aim of strengthening institutional responses to caste-based discrimination in higher education. The regulations replaced the earlier 2012 equity rules with a more comprehensive framework mandating institutional mechanisms — such as Equal Opportunity Centres, Equity Committees, helplines, and monitoring bodies — aimed at curbing various forms of discrimination, particularly caste-based harassment. However, within days of notification, these regulations triggered widespread public debate, protests, and litigation on constitutional grounds. Multiple petitions were filed challenging the regulations’ validity, particularly the definitions of discrimination and the exclusion of formal redressal rights for general-category students. On January 29, 2026, the Supreme Court stayed the implem