The Supreme Court of India has stayed the operation of the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, calling parts of the framework "prima facie vague" and "capable of misuse". A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, with Justice Joymalya Bagchi, flagged concerns particularly around the definition of “caste-based discrimination” and suggested that the regulations be revisited by a committee of eminent jurists. Notices were issued to the Union government and the University Grants Commission, and the matter has been listed for March 19, with the 2012 UGC anti-discrimination regulations operating in the interim.
The new regulations seek to eliminate discrimination in higher education on grounds such as caste, religion, gender, race, place of birth and disability, with a specific focus on protecting SCs, STs, OBCs, EWS and persons with disabilities through institutional mechanisms like Equal Opportunity Centres or equity committees. Aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, they apply to all universities, colleges and deemed universities across India. The rules define “caste-based discrimination” in a way that explicitly ties it to discrimination against members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, a formulation that petitioners claim is not caste-neutral and violates Article 14.
Notified to promote equity on campuses, the 2026 regulations were intended to replace the 2012 framework and introduce new definitions, complaint mechanisms and remedial measures. However, they have drawn criticism from academics, political groups and student organisations for being vague, exclusionary and potentially divisive, and multiple legal challenges have reached the apex court, culminating in the present interim stay.