Communist Party of India -Marxist Leninist- Liberation CPIML
26th January 2026
On 13 January, the University Grants Commission released the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026. The stated objective of these regulations is to eliminate discrimination on the basis of religion, race, gender, place of birth, caste, or disability, and to promote equity and inclusion across higher education institutions (HEIs).
While AISA welcomes these guidelines, it is important to recognise that they did not emerge in isolation. They are the result of years of struggle and of repeated institutional failures to address caste-based discrimination in higher education. The deaths of Rohith Vemula, Payal Tadvi, and Darshan Solanki brutally exposed the reality of caste oppression within our universities and colleges, and laid bare how ineffective and hollow the 2012 UGC guidelines truly were. These new regulations have come only after prolonged student movements, rising instances of discrimination against marginalised students, widespread public outrage, and multiple court interventions that forced the UGC to act.
One significant and welcome step in the 2026 Regulations is the inclusion of OBCs within the ambit of equity protections. This is constitutionally sound and long overdue, addressing the persistent legal and institutional invisibilization of caste-based discrimination faced by backward classes.
The Regulations also expand the scope of Equal Opportunity Centres (EOCs) significantly, compared to the earlier Equal Opportunity Cells that functioned largely as advisory and monitoring bodies. Another important structural change is the establishment of an Equity Committee to inquire into discrimination complaints, along with provisions for a 24×7 equity helpline, equity squads, and equity ambassadors.
However, while these measures represent an improvement over the 2012 guidelines, several critical concerns remain. The Regulations do not mandate that the EOC Coordinator or the Chairperson of the Equity Committee belong to a marginalized community. Instead, the head of the institution is designated as the ex officio Chairperson. This arrangement reflects tokenism without real power and creates an inherent conflict of interest. At a time when individuals aligned with the BJP–RSS ideology increasingly occupy leadership positions in HEIs, many of whom have themselves perpetuated caste-based discrimination, such a structure risks shielding perpetrators, compromising justice, and rendering the committee ineffective.
Representation of SC, ST, OBCs, and women in the Equity Committee, both among faculty and students, remains low, vague, and inadequately defined.
Further, the Regulations define discrimination in broad and abstract terms without enumerating concrete acts or instances of discrimination. This ambiguity shifts disproportionate power to institutions to interpret discrimination subjectively, allowing them to evade accountability and perpetuate caste bias under the cover of discretionary authority.
This concern becomes even more urgent in light of UGC’s own compiled data, which shows that complaints of caste-based discrimination in universities and colleges increased by 118 per cent between 2019 and 2024. These incidents of caste based violence are a consequence of a casteist system sustained by institutional and state complicity.
At a moment when caste-based discrimination has sharply intensified, these Regulations have arrived far too late, though they are nonetheless welcome. However, without substantial reforms, they risk becoming yet another symbolic exercise appearing progressive on paper while failing in practice.
While welcoming the UGC Equity Regulations, 2026, AISA firmly demands their urgent refinement and reform to ensure real accountability, meaningful representation, and genuine protection for students from marginalized communities.
Sd/-
Neha, All India President
Prasenjeet, General Secretary
