NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court’s decision to stay the University Grants Commission equity regulations on preventing caste-based discrimination on campuses has triggered mixed reactions from student organisations and teachers’ bodies, with All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the Students Federation of India (SFI) calling the move a “setback to social justice and protections for marginalised students on campuses”.
In a statement issued on January 29, AISA described the stay as “reprehensible but predictable”, alleging that it reflected the entrenched nature of caste discrimination within institutional structures.
While acknowledging that the UGC guidelines were limited in scope, the organisation said that even these “inadequate attempts” to address caste-based discrimination in higher educational institutions had now been stalled.
SFI president Adarsh M Saji criticised sections of the student community opposing the guidelines, stating that calls to dismantle the UGC and what he termed “irrational support” from representatives of the ruling class marked a “shameful development” in the social fabric of the country.
“This politics should be defeated, and constitutional values of equality and the right to live with dignity must be protected,” he said. However, teachers’ bodies and academics offered a more nuanced critique, pointing to serious flaws within the regulations themselves. Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) president Surajit Mazumdar termed the UGC Equity Regulations “woefully inappropriate and inadequate”.
He flagged a clause mandating the formation of mobile “Equity Squads” of undefined composition to prevent discrimination on campuses, warning that it could enable moral policing and coercion by higher education institution administrations.
“This is likely to hinder healthy interaction across caste, religion and gender lines rather than address discrimination in a meaningful way,” Mazumdar said, adding that JNUTA demands substantial modifications to the regulations.
Maya John, Academic Council member at Delhi University, echoed similar concerns. She said that while a robust mechanism to prevent caste-based discrimination in higher educational institutions is necessary, the UGC Regulations, 2026 fall short of delivering effective safeguards.
Meanwhile, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) welcomed the Supreme Court’s intervention.