UGC equity rules are excessive

They pre-judge the “oppressor” and “oppressed” categories. Such a framework ignores basic safeguards, due process, and balance

- TV MOHANDAS PAI VENKATARAMANAN K Respectively Chairman, Aarin Capital, and management consultant

The University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, have ignited a fierce debate across India’s academia since their notification on January 13. Though the Supreme Court has granted a temporary stay, the regulations are not yet rolled back. Public outrage has centred largely on the definition of caste discrimination, which singles out general category individuals as oppressors while excluding them from protective coverage.

The new rules seem like a knee-jerk reaction to intense media coverage of isolated cases, rather than evidence of widespread caste discrimination. The 2022-23 (provisional) AISHE report shows 60,380 higher educational institutions with 4.38 crore students. Of this, 2.66 crore (61%) are SC/ST/OBCs. Yet UGC data records only 378 complaints of caste-linked discrimination—roughly 0.00087% of enrolled students.

The UGC provides no details of these complaints (nature, seriousness, evidence, outcomes, or background of the accused), making it impossible to gauge their scale or seriousness. Despite the negligible rate, the UGC introduced sweeping new rules without public consultation. This disproportionate response risks creating caste conflicts, social disorder, and over-regulation of campuses based on rare cases instead of balanced, data-driven policy.

Under Section 5(6), each equity committee must include at least three senior professors, besides staff, student, and civil society representatives. Section 8(c) requires the panel to meet within 24 hours of a complaint to take “appropriate action”, while Section 8(d) mandates recommendations within 15 days.