UGC Equity Regulations 2026 "Unbalanced", Centre Must Ensure Fairness: RSS

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has described the provisions in the University Grants Commission's (UGC) Equity Regulations, 2026, as "unbalanced" and called on the Centre to ensure that any changes or decisions concerning the rules maintain fairness and social harmony.

RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar said the organisation had already communicated its concerns about the regulations to the authorities, adding that both the government and the UGC had taken note of the objections. He also pointed out that the Supreme Court had put the regulations on hold and that the matter was now before the judiciary.

"The Sangh has made its position clear that the UGC circular was unbalanced. This concern was brought to the attention of the authorities, and both the government and the UGC took note of it. The court has also put the regulations on hold, and the matter is currently sub judice," Ambekar said.

He said the RSS believed that any decision taken on the issue in the future must strike a balance and that the government had a responsibility to ensure that the eventual framework was fair.

"Our position is that whatever happens in the future should be balanced. The government should also pay attention to this, and the court should take the matter in the same direction," he said.

Ambekar also cautioned against allowing the controversy surrounding a single government circular to affect social relations, saying that the larger responsibility was to preserve unity within society.

"Society should not move its social unity beyond a single circular. We should keep our society strong. If we stay together, I feel that solutions to such problems will also emerge," he said.

The RSS remarks come amid debate over the UGC's 2026 regulations, which were introduced to address caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions but have faced objections over the way they define discrimination and the categories of students covered by their provisions.

The UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, were notified on January 13, following a process that began with a public interest litigation filed in the Supreme Court in 2019 by Radhika Vemula and Abeda Salim Tadvi, the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi respectively.

Both Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi died by suicide after facing caste-based discrimination at their respective universities. Their families approached the Supreme Court seeking to address caste discrimination on university campuses and prevent similar incidents.

The petition eventually led to scrutiny of the existing safeguards against discrimination in higher education. In early 2025, the Supreme Court told the Union government that it wanted a "very strong and robust mechanism" to deal effectively with such incidents. The court also allowed the petitioners and other stakeholders to submit suggestions for consideration while the UGC was preparing its draft regulations.