New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI): A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging a recently notified University Grants Commission (UGC) regulation, alleging that it adopts a non-inclusionary definition of caste-based discrimination and excludes certain categories from institutional protection.
The petition contends that Regulation 3(c) of the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 narrowly defines caste-based discrimination as discrimination only against members of the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC). By doing so, it allegedly denies protection and grievance redressal mechanisms to individuals belonging to the “general” or non-reserved categories who may also face harassment or bias based on caste identity.
Filed by Vineet Jindal, the plea argues that the regulation, in its present “exclusionary form”, creates a hierarchy of protection that is unconstitutional. It submits that limiting the scope of caste-based discrimination effectively leaves out students and faculty outside the reserved categories from the ambit of institutional safeguards.
The petitioner has alleged violations of Article 14 (right to equality), Article 15(1) (prohibition of discrimination on grounds including caste), and Article 21 (right to life and dignity) of the Constitution. The plea states that caste-based discrimination should not be confined to specific caste groups but should cover “all persons discriminated on the basis of caste, irrespective of their specific caste identity”.
Seeking relief, the petition urges the apex court to restrain authorities from enforcing Regulation 3(c) in its current form and to direct the UGC to redefine caste-based discrimination in a “caste-neutral and constitutionally compliant manner.” It has also sought interim directions to ensure that mechanisms such as Equal Opportunity Centres, Equity Helplines and the Ombudsperson, established under the regulations, are made accessible to all students in a non-discriminatory way pending a formal reconsideration of the definition.
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