The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed a recent University Grants Commission (UGC) regulation after various pleas were filed contending that the Commission adopted a non-inclusionary definition of caste-based discrimination and excluded certain categories from institutional protection. The court issued notice to the Union and the University Grants Commission on the petitions, returnable on March 19. The court further ordered that the 2012 UGC regulations will operate in the meantime. The new regulations replaces the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012, which was largely advisory in nature. The pleas assailed the regulation on the grounds that caste-based discrimination is defined strictly as discrimination against members of the SCs, STs and OBCs.

Source: The Telegraph January 29, 2026 15:01 UTC