The top court said that, for the time being, the 2012 UGC regulations will continue to apply. It observed that Regulation 3(C), which defines caste-based discrimination, suffers from complete vagueness and can be misused
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi. Pic/X
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) lawmaker Priyanka Chaturvedi on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court’s stay on the new University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations on equity in higher education, criticising the Central government for “abdicating its responsibility” amid widespread backlash over the guidelines.
In a post on X, Chaturvedi said she was “trolled and abused” for her surname when she raised her voice against the new regulations, highlighting the vagueness of the guidelines, which she said were an attempt to “create further discrimination on campuses”.
मुझे खुशी है कि माननीय सर्वोच्च न्यायालय ने हस्तक्षेप करते हुए UGC के उन दिशानिर्देशों पर रोक लगाई, जो अस्पष्ट, मनमाने थे और campuses में और अधिक भेदभाव पैदा करने का प्रयास थे।
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) January 29, 2026
मुझे ट्रोल किया गया, गालियाँ दी गईं और मेरे surname को लेकर अपमानजनक शब्दों का इस्तेमाल किया गया - वो… pic.twitter.com/brUGiU6DcU
“I am glad that Hon SC stepped in and stayed the UGC guidelines, which were vague, arbitrary and an attempt to create further discrimination on campuses. I was trolled, abused, and slurs were thrown my way using my surname, so be it. What goes against the natural course of justice, I will continue to raise it and use my voice for it,” the Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) said.
She further criticised the Central government’s inaction and stated, “That the GoI absolutely abdicated its responsibility to intervene & withdraw the UGC guidelines shows that they give no respect or consideration to people's protests is now clear as daylight. And those who stayed silent, time will judge you.”
The Supreme Court’s stay comes amid an uproar across the country over the alleged discrimination against the General Category in the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026.
The top court said that, for the time being, the 2012 UGC regulations will continue to apply. The court observed that Regulation 3(C), which defines caste-based discrimination, suffers from complete vagueness and can be misused, news agency ANI reported.
UGC Regulations 2026 stayed over vague wording
“The language needs to be re-modified,” the apex court said.
The new UGC regulations, notified on January 23, had been challenged by multiple petitioners as arbitrary, exclusionary, discriminatory, and in violation of the Constitution as well as the University Grants Commission Act, 1956.
The regulations, aimed at curbing caste-based discrimination in colleges and universities, require institutions to establish special committees and helplines to address complaints from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) students.
Students, mostly from the General Category, protested against the regulations, arguing that they promote discrimination rather than equality on campuses.
They also pointed out that the regulations lack provisions to deal with fraudulent complaints filed against General Category students.
(With ANI inputs)
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