On Thursday, the Supreme Court stayed the equity regulations of the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2026, and it raised serious concerns on the fact that the new framework may worsen the situation of social divisions and may be used as a dangerous tool against the state in wrong hands. The court ruled that the anti-discrimination rules of the UGC 2012 will not be suspended in the meantime so that the students and other complainants can still have access to effective remedies.
Notices were given to the Union government and the UGC by a bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi requesting them to answer notices regarding three petitions that allege that the University Grants Commission ( Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 are unconstitutional. The next hearing in the case was set in the court on March 19.
As the petitions were being heard, the bench emphasized the need to display the principle of national unity in the Indian institutions of learning. It warned that the controversial rules, rather than ensuring inclusion and equality, could be abused and resulted in retrogressive and divisive effects. The judges noted that any regulatory system applied in ensuring equity in higher education should be well designed to enhance social harmony and not to compromise it.
The fact that the court issued an interim order shows that the court is worried that the sudden alteration of the former safeguards would leave individuals in question without any proper protection. The continuing effect of the anti-discrimination rules of 2012 by the bench was continuity and avoiding a regulatory vacuum as the constitutional matters of the petitions are reviewed further.
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