US EditionProtests, resignations: Why uproar over new UGC equity regulations has intensified
- On Monday , opposition to the University Grants Commission 's Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026 intensified, while a sustained fortnight-long campaign by students and parents gained traction nationally.
- On January 13, 2026, the University Grants Commission notified the 2026 regulations, replacing its 2012 anti-discrimination framework after a draft circulated in 2025.
- Regulatory language removes safeguards for false-complaint penalties and redefines covered discrimination, mandating Equity Committees with OBC, SC, ST, persons with disabilities, and women while excluding the general category.
- Administrative and party figures began resigning in protest, with Bareilly City Magistrate Alank Agnihotri and ten office-bearers of the Lucknow unit quitting on Monday , alongside Raju Pandit, BJP Yuva Morcha Noida vice-president.
- A Public Interest Litigation issued on January 13 reached the Supreme Court, filed by Mrityunjay Tiwari, prompting calls from student bodies and a senior academic to withdraw or nullify the regulations.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Protests, resignations: Why uproar over new UGC equity regulations has intensified
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has stirred the pot with its Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026, notified on January 13. Under the new rules, the statutory body defines ‘caste-based discrimination’ as discrimination ‘only on the basis of caste or tribe’ against members of the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). But why has this caused a row?
UGC's new regulations sparks row as upper caste students call for protests
New Delhi: Students from upper-caste communities called for a protest outside the University Grants Commission (UGC) headquarters in Delhi on Tuesday, January 27, saying that the new regulations issued by the commission could lead to chaos on campuses. Those behind the protest call have appealed for unity from the student community, urging them to say “No to UGC discrimination” and requesting them to gather in large numbers to register their opp…
Why UGC's Equity Rules Have Become a Flashpoint for Savarna Anxiety in BJP Era
The University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 have been widely celebrated by SC, ST, and OBC civil society groups, but have provoked intense backlash from upper-caste groups.
Explained: Why the New UGC Rules on Caste-Based Discrimination Have Sparked Outrage
The new framework traces its origins to a petition filed in 2019 by Abeda Salim Tadvi and Radhika Vemula, the mothers of Payal Tadvi and Rohith Vemula, respectively, who questioned the implementation of the earlier equity rules.
This is the fourth action taken in the Court which defends the violation of legislation
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