Didwana (Rajasthan) | Amid backlash over the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday assured there would be no discrimination with anyone and the regulations would not be "misused".
Pradhan's assurance came after the regulation faced major protests at several places in the country, including on social media.
Besides, a plea has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the recently notified University Grants Commission (UGC) regulation. The petition alleges that the regulation has adopted a non-inclusionary definition of caste-based discrimination and excludes certain categories from institutional protection.
Pradhan has assured that there would be no discrimination against anyone.
"I want to humbly assure everyone (that) no one is going to face any harassment. There will be no discrimination and no one will have the right to misuse the regulation in the name of discrimination," Pradhan told reporters here.
"Whether the UGC, Union or the state government, they have the responsibility. I assure it will be within the ambit of the Constitution of India," he said.
The plea in the Supreme Court submitted that regulation 3(c) of the recently notified UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 is "non-inclusionary" and fails to protect students and faculty who do not belong to reserved categories.
The government on January 13 notified new regulations mandating all higher education institutions to form "equity committees" to look into discrimination complaints and promote equity, according to officials.
The UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, mandated that these committees must include members of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Scheduled Tribes (STs), persons with disabilities (PwDs) and women.
A draft of the regulations was made public for feedback in February last year.
The document was issued after the Supreme Court told the UGC to submit the new regulations while hearing a plea by the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi, questioning the implementation of the 2012 UGC regulations.
"Every HEI (higher education institution) shall establish an Equal Opportunity Centre to oversee the effective implementation of policies and programmes for disadvantaged groups; to provide guidance and counselling regarding academic, financial, social and other matters; and to enhance the diversity within the campus.
"Provided that if a college does not have at least five faculty members to establish the Equal Opportunity Centre, the functions of the centre of the college shall be performed by the Equal Opportunity Centre of the university to which the college is affiliated," the notification reads.
The Centre shall coordinate with civil society, local media, police, district administration, nongovernment organisations, faculty members, staff and parents to realise the objective of these regulations.
"The Equal Opportunity Centre shall coordinate with the District Legal Services Authority and the State Legal Services Authority concerned to achieve the objectives of these regulations in general and to provide legal aid in deserving cases.
"The Executive Council or the Governing Body or the Management Committee of the Higher Education Institution, as the case may be, shall nominate a regular professor or a senior faculty member who has an innate interest in the welfare of disadvantaged social groups as Coordinator of the centre," it further reads.
The Equal Opportunity Centre shall have an Equity Committee constituted by the head of the institution to manage the functioning of the centre and to enquire into discrimination complaints.
The regulations have mandated that the committee must have representation of OBCs, PwDs, SCs, STs, and women.
The term of its members shall be for two years, and the term of the special invitees shall be one year.
"Every HEI shall also constitute a smaller body to be known as 'Equity Squads' with such representation as is considered necessary for maintaining vigil and preventing any discrimination on the campus," the regulations say.
