The Supreme Court is scheduled to address a series of petitions challenging the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 on Thursday. The bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, will deliberate on the matter on January 29, as per the cause list on the apex court’s website. Earlier, Chief Justice Surya Kant agreed to expedite a plea contesting the regulations after a request for urgent listing.
The Chief Justice assured the petitioner’s counsel that the case would be heard once the petition’s deficiencies are rectified. The petitioner’s counsel raised concerns that the regulations might lead to discrimination against individuals in the general category and highlighted the lack of effective grievance redressal mechanisms for them. The plea challenges the UGC’s Equity Regulations, alleging that they perpetuate discrimination by excluding grievance redressal mechanisms for individuals outside the SC/ST/OBC categories.
The petition argues that the regulations violate equality principles and fair access to remedies in higher education institutions. It claims that the definition of “caste-based discrimination” in the regulations only protects certain reserved categories, excluding individuals from general or upper castes, regardless of the discrimination they face. The petition seeks directions for ensuring that grievance redressal mechanisms are available in a non-discriminatory manner, pending a review or amendment of Regulation 3(c). It contends that denying access based on caste identity constitutes impermissible state discrimination and breaches Articles 14, 15(1), and 21 of the Constitution.
