NEW DELHI: The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the 2026 University Grants Commission's equity (impartiality) regulations to ensure preventing caste-based discrimination on campuses is under reconsideration.
During the hearing, the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the Supreme Court that the Union Government was actively reconsidering the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations 2026, which were formulated to address caste discrimination in colleges and universities.
"The UGC regulations were under reconsideration," Mehta told the bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana and requested the bench that the case may defer the formulation of questions to be determined until the process is over.
Taking into record the submissions of Mehta, the Court adjourned the batch of petitions challenging the 2026 regulations after four weeks.
On January 29, the apex court had in its order directed that the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, be kept in abeyance, and it had stayed the operation of the 2026 regulations, after prima facie observing that they were vague and capable of being misused.
Senior Advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for the mothers of Rohit Vemula and Payal Tadvi who died by suicide after facing caste discrimination, submitted that a timeline may be fixed for the Union's decision.
The case stems from the institutional suicides of Payal Tadvi and Rohith Vemula, which raised concerns over caste-based discrimination faced by students from marginalised communities in higher educational institutions.
Their mothers, Abeda Salim Tadvi and Radhika Vemula, approached the Supreme Court through a PIL seeking stronger safeguards against the alleged discrimination and harassment of students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other marginalised communities.
The Centre claimed that the Regulations were formulated with the objective of promoting "equity" (impartiality) in higher education institutions.
To these Regulations, certain members of non-reserved categories are seeking a roll back of the Regulations, whereas the reserved categories are opposing any roll back.
Following these Regulations, petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court contending that the Regulations promote discrimination against "general classes".Some petitioners specifically challenge Regulation 3(1)(c), which defines "caste-based discrimination", contending that the provision should be "caste-neutral".