Centre to review UGC equity rules, tells Supreme Court it may form panel

The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that it is considering setting up a special committee to re-examine the University Grants Commission's (UGC) 2026 equity regulations, according to news agency ANI.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi that the government was working to address students' concerns and ensure that no community felt excluded or threatened under the rules.

"The government has taken a decision that every student should be taken care of. Nobody should have any apprehension. Nobody should feel dissatisfied. We are also considering the interests of the younger generation. The government is contemplating appointing a committee," Mehta told the court.

The bench stressed that any revised framework must protect the interests of all students.

According to The Hindustan Times, the court observed: "Why don't you revisit these regulations so that the next generation is taken care of? They should protect the interest of every student."

The UGC notified the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026 on January 13 to strengthen safeguards against caste-based and other forms of discrimination in colleges and universities.

The rules required institutions to establish Equal Opportunity Centres and Equity Committees to address discrimination complaints.

However, they triggered protests and legal challenges over the definition of caste-based discrimination, which specifically covered Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.

Petitioners argued that the definition excluded general-category students from the specific caste-discrimination framework and could lead to unequal treatment.

On January 29, the SC stayed the regulations, observing that certain provisions appeared vague and that the possibility of misuse could not be ruled out. The court directed that the earlier 2012 UGC equity regulations would continue to apply until further orders.