It’s literally just hit evening here in Delhi , and campuses are still buzzing from the Supreme Court’s big move this afternoon. Students who were out protesting for days are now straight-up celebrating like it’s festival season – throwing colours, dancing, shouting slogans of unity.
The UGC dropped these new rules called the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026 around mid-January (notified on the 23rd). The whole point was to crack down on caste discrimination in colleges and unis, especially protecting SC, ST, and OBC students. Every institution had to set up these Equity Committees with mandatory reps from those communities, plus women and disabled folks. They’d handle complaints super fast (like within 24 hours), run awareness stuff, helplines, all to make campuses safer and more inclusive for marginalized students. On paper, it sounded like a solid step against real harassment and bias that happens way too often.
The backlash was insane. A ton of students (mostly general category) felt it was unfair – the rules only defined “caste-based discrimination” as stuff done to SC/ST/OBC people, so if a general category kid faces something similar (ragging, bias, whatever), there’s no clear protection or quick committee for them. People were scared of misuse, false complaints, or campuses getting divided by caste even more. Protests kicked off everywhere – Delhi outside UGC office in the pouring rain, Lucknow University sit-ins, marches in Varanasi, Bihar, Rajasthan, Jaipur with groups like Karni Sena and others joining. Slogans like “Roll Back UGC,” “Ekta Zindabad,” warnings about “caste conflict” and “dividing society.” Student unions called it one-sided, political parties jumped in, and PILs flooded the Supreme Court saying it’s vague, arbitrary, and against true equality.
Then on – January 29 – the Supreme Court bench with CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard it and boom: full stay on the 2026 rules! They said key parts are “vague,” “too sweeping,” “capable of misuse,” and could have “very dangerous impacts” like dividing society. They slammed the narrow definition of discrimination and asked why ragging isn’t covered the same way. For now, the old 2012 UGC rules (which are more neutral, no mandatory reserved reps in committees) are back in play. They issued notices to the government and UGC, next hearing March 19. Basically, “Go back, rethink, redraft properly.
The second the order dropped, campuses exploded in joy! In Varanasi at Kashi Vidyapeeth University and other UP spots, students were throwing gulal, high-fiving, videos everywhere showing colours flying like Holi. Lucknow University folks shouting “Chhatr ekta zindabad!” Relief everywhere – protesters who called it a “black law” are now popping celebrations. Of course, some folks who wanted stronger safeguards for SC/ST/OBC students aren’t thrilled, seeing it as a setback. But the street vibe right now? Pure happiness and a sense that unity won over division.
This mess shows how hard it is to get equity right without accidentally creating new unfairness in our super diverse setup. Hope the final version protects everyone properly. What do you guys think – fair call by the court or too quick?
Sources:
The Times of India
News18
The Hindu
NDTV
The Indian Express
Live Law
India Today
The Wire
