New Delhi, Jan 29 (NationPress) In a decisive interim ruling issued on Thursday, the Supreme Court has suspended the implementation of the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026. The Court, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, has also served notice to the Centre and the UGC, mandating that the 2026 Regulations will remain on hold while the provisions of the 2012 UGC Regulations will be in effect until further instructions are provided.

The Court was addressing several petitions arguing that the newly proposed regulations could foster discrimination against individuals in the general category. The judges expressed apprehension regarding the lack of adequate grievance redressal mechanisms for those affected.

By invoking its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to ensure “complete justice,” the Supreme Court has ruled that the 2012 Regulations will remain operational until a subsequent order is issued.

This matter is scheduled for further deliberation on March 19.

During the hearings, Chief Justice Kant raised concerns about the potential fallout from the new regulations, stating, “If we don’t intervene, it will have a dangerous impact. It will divide society and have grave repercussions.”

Earlier, on Wednesday, Chief Justice Kant had agreed to prioritize the case for hearing after it was requested for urgent listing.

The petitioners claim that the new UGC framework institutionalizes discrimination by failing to provide grievance redressal mechanisms for non-SC/ST/OBC category individuals. They argue that these regulations contravene the principles of equality and equitable access to remedies within higher education.

The petition further asserts that the regulation limits the definition of “caste-based discrimination” exclusively to members of the “Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.” This narrow definition effectively grants legal recognition of victimhood only to certain reserved categories, thereby excluding individuals from general or upper castes from protection, irrespective of their experiences of discrimination.

Additionally, the petition seeks a directive to ensure that Equal Opportunity Centres, Equity Helplines, inquiry mechanisms, and Ombudsperson processes under the regulations are accessible in a “non-discriminatory and caste-neutral manner,” pending any reconsideration or amendments to Regulation 3(c).

The petition claims that denying access to grievance mechanisms based on caste identity constitutes impermissible state discrimination, thus violating Articles 14, 15(1), and 21 of the Constitution.