New Delhi: The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that it is setting up a special committee to re-examine the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) 2026 regulations on promoting equity in higher education institutions, which were stayed by the court in January.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant that the government was exploring ways to address students’ concerns and ensure that no group feels excluded, threatened or apprehensive under the framework.
The CJI said the exercise must protect the interests of all students, emphasising that the concerns and well-being of the younger generation should remain central.
The Supreme Court had earlier stayed the 2026 regulations in their entirety, raising concerns that certain provisions were prima facie vague and could be misused. It directed that the 2012 UGC equity regulations would remain in force until further consideration.
A bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi had specifically questioned the language of Regulation 3(C), which defines “caste-based discrimination”, calling it vague.
“There is complete vagueness in Regulation 3 (C), and it can be misused. The language needs to be re-modified,” the court had remarked.
The bench also noted that the 2012 UGC regulations would continue to operate until it examined the validity of the 2026 framework.
Acknowledging the petitioners’ submissions, the court had indicated that it could direct the UGC to constitute a committee comprising academicians and eminent jurists familiar with the functioning of educational institutions, subject to the court’s approval.
“Schools and colleges cannot exist in isolation or in a vacuum; they are an integral part of society,” CJI Surya Kant said. “How are people going to behave outside the campus if we create this kind of situation inside the campus?” the court remarked.
The regulations were introduced to curb caste-based discrimination in colleges and universities. They require institutions to establish special committees and helplines to address complaints from students belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
The UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, had triggered massive protests in the national capital.
