Uproar intensifies against new UGC equity regulations

Opposition to the University Grants Commission (UGC)'s new regulations on equity in higher education intensified with critics challenging their definition of "caste-based discrimination" and alleging bias against general category students. A writ petition was filed in the Supreme Court by Mrityunjay Tiwari, a post-doctoral researcher at Banaras Hindu University, while political figures like Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi called for the regulations to be withdrawn or amended. Student bodies also voiced concerns about the regulations' potential to create an atmosphere of fear and distrust. The UGC notified these updated regulations on January 13, 2026, removing a provision for punishments for false complaints and defining "caste-based discrimination" narrowly.