Centre considers committee to review UGC equity rules

The Centre told the Supreme Court on November 5 that it is considering appointing a committee to review the University Grants Commission’s 2026 equity regulations, which the court stayed in January. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the government was contemplating a committee to address concerns from students across different sections. Its formation and remit have not been announced. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, also comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi, was hearing petitions challenging the regulations. The court urged the Centre to revisit the rules and said the interests of every student should be protected. It adjourned the petitions for further consideration. The Supreme Court’s January 29 interim order put the 2026 regulations on hold and directed that the earlier 2012 regulations remain in force until further orders. The court had expressed preliminary concerns about ambiguities in the new framework and the possibility of misuse. The petitions challenge the regulations’ definition of caste-based discrimination, arguing that it focuses on discrimination against members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes and leaves...