HYDERABAD: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Thursday directed officials to expedite the drafting of the Rohith Vemula Telangana (Prevention of Identity-Based Discrimination in Higher Education) Bill, 2026, stating that the government is committed to permanently ending identity-based discrimination in higher educational institutions.
Chairing the first meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee constituted to formulate the proposed legislation, Vikramarka said the government is determined to create a peaceful and discrimination-free environment in educational institutions through a strong and effective law.
Recalling the death of Rohith Vemula at Hyderabad Central University (HCU), Vikramarka said the incident had shaken not only Telangana but the entire country. He noted that Rahul Gandhi, now the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had visited the university during the student protests and expressed solidarity with those demanding justice. Vikramarka said Uttam Kumar Reddy, Sridhar Babu, Ponnam Prabhakar and he had also fought against the discrimination faced by students at the time.
He said the Congress government, led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, was now fulfilling its promise of bringing in a law to ensure a discrimination-free education system in universities. The formation of the Cabinet sub-committee, he added, reflected Rahul Gandhi’s vision that every individual should live with self-respect and that no one should lose their life because of discrimination.
Vikramarka instructed officials to constitute a committee to speed up the drafting process and prepare a comprehensive preliminary report detailing the proposed law and its procedures. He also suggested studying similar initiatives in Karnataka and adopting suitable best practices while framing the legislation.
He said the government would formulate the Bill through a democratic and consultative process. He invited suggestions from leaders of political parties, public organisations and student associations, stating that the draft would be revised after considering public feedback.
Vikramarka said the Cabinet sub-committee would finalise the draft after incorporating the suggestions before placing the Bill before the Assembly.
To ensure the legislation withstands legal scrutiny, Supreme Court advocate and social activist Disha Wadekar was invited as a special participant to provide legal inputs.
