Our Bureau
New Delhi
The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, notified on January 23, 2026 which was challenged by various petitioners as being arbitrary, exclusionary, discriminatory and in violation of the of the Constitution as well as the University Grants Commission Act, 1956.
The pleas had chiefly argued that the UGC regulation defines ‘caste-based discrimination’ very narrowly, limiting it only to discrimination against SC, ST, and OBC communities.
While staying the 2026 UGC regulations in its entirety, a bench of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi termed the language of the provision that defines “caste-based discrimination” as “vague”.
“There is complete vagueness in Regulation 3 (C), and it can be misused. The language needs to be re-modified,” the Court remarked.
The Court noted that for now, the 2012 UGC regulations will operate until it examines the validity of the 2026 regulations. The matter will be heard next on March 19, it added.
The bench has sought the response of the Centre by asking the Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta, to file its counter-affidavit.
The new regulations, introduced to curb caste-based discrimination in colleges and universities, require institutions to establish special committees and helplines to address complaints, especially from students belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) categories.
The new rules notified by the UGC on January 13, which update its 2012 regulations on the same subject, have sparked widespread criticism from general category students, who argue that the framework could lead to discrimination against them.
Earlier on Wednesday, students, mostly belonging to the general category, staged a protest at Delhi University’s North Campus against the newly notified University Grants Commission (UGC) equity rules, demanding their immediate withdrawal.
The protesting students claimed that the rules promote discrimination on campuses instead of equality. They pointed out that there was no binding provision for the representation of general category students.
However, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday sought to allay concerns over the new UGC regulations, assuring that the law would not be misused and that there would be no discrimination in its implementation.
Speaking to the reporters, Pradhan said, “I assure everyone there will be no discrimination and no one can misuse the law.”
On Tuesday, students in Lucknow staged a protest in front of Lucknow University, raising slogans against the UGC policies.
