Caste still counts? Inside UGC’s new anti-discrimination rules and the high cost of non-compliance | Explained

In his book Caste Matters, Dalit scholar Suraj Yengde highlighted the painful reality of caste oppression. He wrote, “Until my mother can sleep with reassurance without worrying about her son's returning home safely in the caste police regime; until then, caste matters.”

On 13 January, the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued new Equity Regulations for 2026. These rules replace the older 2012 framework. They aim to stop discrimination and caste-based bias. Unlike the old rules, these new regulations make compliance mandatory. However, they have already faced criticism from students and political parties.

In 2026, every higher education institution must establish mandatory structures that were previously largely optional or limited.

1. An Equal Opportunity Centre (EOC) to promote inclusion, handle complaints, and run awareness programs.

2. An Equity Committee with required representation from SC/ST/OBC, women, and persons with disabilities (PwD).

3. A 24/7 equity helpline; equity ambassadors in departments and facilities; and mobile equity squads for campus monitoring and reporting.

The rules expand protections seriously, while the 2012 focus was mainly on SC/ST students, the 2026 version explicitly includes OBCs in its definition of caste-based discrimination (alongside SC/ST), and broadens coverage to faculty, staff, gender minorities, PwD, and sometimes economically weaker sections (EWS), applying to all stakeholders.

Compliance will be monitored through a national-level committee and mandatory annual reporting by institutions.

Also, complaints go to the EOC or helpline (with confidentiality options). The Equity Committee must meet within 24 hours, submit a report within 15 working days, and the institution head must act within another 7 days (with a police referral if needed).

The complaints increased from 173 in 2019-20 to 182 in 2020-21, 186 in 2021-22, 241 in 2022-23, and reached a peak of 378 in 2023-24, amounting to a cumulative total of 1,160 complaints during this timeframe.

Of these, 1,052 were resolved, achieving a disposal rate of approximately 90.68%, though pending cases grew from 18 in the initial year to 108 by 2023-24.

His death triggered nationwide protests and renewed demands for a central anti-discrimination law for students in higher education, commonly referred to as the “Rohith Act”. Such a law has yet to be enacted at the national level.

Earlier this month, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the Rohit Vemula Act would be introduced in the state at the earliest.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kalraj Mishra on Wednesday criticised the newly notified University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines, calling them "unconstitutional" and alleging that they promote “separatism” instead of ensuring equal opportunity for all students, ANI reported.

“We have demanded that the unconstitutional rules, which are based on caste discrimination, and which include OBCs, should be amended. I believe that all sections of society need to be included in this. If any student from any caste or community faces discrimination, they should have the opportunity to file a complaint, and I believe that everyone should be included in this process,” he said.

“The inclusion of texts such as the ‘Manusmriti’, which legitimises caste discrimination and glorifies a varna-based, oppressive, and exploitative social order, will only reinforce prejudices based on caste and gender. The government must immediately remove such obscurantist texts from the syllabi,” it said.

The party accused the RSS and its affiliate organisations of “exploiting the notification of these Regulations to foment caste divisions within educational institutions”.

(With inputs from agencies)