New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) new regulations aimed at promoting equity in higher education institutions. The UGC had introduced these rules on January 13, 2026, mandating several institutions to form equality committees and implement anti-discrimination policies.
The PIL was presented before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud. The CJI acknowledged awareness of the matter and advised the petitioner to address any shortcomings in the petition. “We will hear the matter,” he said.
The challenge against the UGC rules is based on the claim that they prevent students from the general category from accessing the grievance redressal mechanism. The petitioner argued that the new regulations discriminate against general category students.
The plea also contended that the rules are discriminatory because they deny grievance redressal and institutional protection to those who do not belong to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (SC-ST) or Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories.
The petitioner has sought a stay on the implementation of these regulations in their current form. The plea described the denial of access to grievance mechanisms on the basis of caste identity as unacceptable state discrimination. It further stated that this selective framework not only condones but effectively encourages unchecked hostility against non-reserved categories, turning the rules into instruments of division rather than equality.
Several petitions and applications have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging these UGC regulations. Among them is the case of Rahul Diwan and others versus the Union of India.
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