Key Points
All higher education institutions must establish Equal Opportunity Centres, an Equity committee, campus vigilance squads, a helpline and ambassadors to counter discriminatory practices and promote equality.
Discrimination is defined broadly to cover religion, race, caste, gender, place of birth and disability, with OBCs explicitly included. The regulations do not cover ‘language’ and ‘ethnicity’, and do not define ‘harassment’ and ‘victimisation’.
Non-compliance can attract severe penalties, including loss of UGC recognition and the right to offer degree programmes. Strict timelines have been framed to deal with complaints of discrimination.
The University Grants Commission (UGC), on 13 January 2026, notified the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026, introducing new rules aimed at eradicating discrimination and promoting equity across all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in India. The regulations supersede the earlier 2012 rules and were drafted based on a Supreme Court directive that addressed a plea concerning implementation of anti-discrimination policies in educational institutions.
The UGC has framed the new rules in the context of the UGC Act, 1956, and the National Education Policy, 2020, which identify equity and inclusion as foundational principles for the education system. The objective, according to the notification, is to eradicate discrimination, particularly against Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, economically weaker sections and persons with disabilities, and to promote full equity and inclusion among all stakeholders in higher education.
A central feature of the 2026 regulations is the expansion and clarification of definitions. ‘Discrimination’ is defined as any unfair, differential or biased treatment, whether explicit or implicit, on the specified grounds, including acts or practices that have the effect of impairing equality of treatment in education. Any such action taken on the basis of religion, race, caste, gender, place of birth or disability is incompatible with human dignity and equality of treatment in education, the regulations read.
‘Caste-based discrimination’ is now expressly defined to include discrimination against members of the SCs, STs and OBCs. This definition addresses criticism raised against the draft rules issued in February 2025 that had excluded OBCs from this category.
The regulations mandate the establishment of an Equal Opportunity Centre (EOC) in every HEI. These centres are tasked with overseeing the implementation of equity policies, providing academic, social and legal guidance to disadvantaged groups, and enhancing campus diversity. Where a college lacks sufficient faculty strength to constitute its own centre, the affiliating university’s EOC will perform these functions. The centres are also required to coordinate with civil society organisations, local administration, police authorities and legal services authorities to further the objectives of the regulations and provide legal aid in deserving cases.
Each EOC must have an Equity Committee, constituted by the head of the institution, such as a vice-chancellor or principal, to manage its functioning and inquire into complaints of discrimination. The committee’s composition is specified in detail: it must include three senior faculty members, a non-teaching staff member, two members from civil society, two student representatives, and a coordinator. It must ensure representation of OBCs, SCs, STs, persons with disabilities and women. The committee is required to meet at least twice a year to review complaints and action taken, while the centre must publish bi-annual reports detailing its activities, demographic data of students and staff, dropout rates, and the status of grievances received.
The regulations require every institution to establish a round-the-clock Equity Helpline, accessible to any stakeholder facing discrimination-related distress. The identity of informants must be kept confidential if requested. In addition, institutions are directed to form mobile ‘Equity Squads’ to maintain vigilance in vulnerable campus areas and to designate ‘Equity Ambassadors’ in departments, hostels and facilities to act as nodal points for reporting violations and implementing initiatives.
The procedure for handling complaints is laid out with specific timelines. An aggrieved person may report discrimination through an online portal, in writing, by email to the EOC coordinator, or via the Equity Helpline. Upon receipt of a complaint, the Equity Committee must meet within 24 hours and submit its report to the head of the institution within 15 working days. The head of the institution is then required to initiate further action within seven working days. Where a complaint involves the head of the institution, the committee’s report is forwarded to the next higher authority. The regulations also provide for an appeal to the Ombudsperson under the UGC’s student grievance regulations, with a 30-day timeline for disposal.
Monitoring and enforcement form a key pillar of the new framework. The UGC will establish a monitoring mechanism, including campus visits and information calls, and will constitute a national-level monitoring committee with representatives of statutory councils, commissions and civil society. Institutions must submit annual reports on the functioning of their Equal Opportunity Centres to the UGC and relevant authorities. Failure to comply can attract stringent consequences, ranging from debarment from UGC schemes and grants to loss of recognition and the right to offer degree, distance learning or online programmes.
The regulations place a clear duty on every HEI to restrain discrimination and promote equity among students, faculty, staff and management. Institutions are prohibited from permitting or condoning any form of discrimination, and the head of the institution is vested with the responsibility and authority to ensure compliance. The rules require institutions to adopt protective and preventive measures to safeguard stakeholders from discrimination without prejudice to caste, creed, religion, language, gender or disability.
The notification of the 2026 regulations follows sustained scrutiny of caste and other forms of discrimination in higher education and is a direct result of a plea filed in the Supreme Court by the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi. Both Vemula and Tadvi committed suicide because of caste discrimination in their respective institutions, triggering a massive movement against the pervasiveness of discrimination in India’s education landscape.
Following the directive, the UGC had published a draft version of the regulations in February 2025 for public consultation. The rules, then, were criticized for excluding definitions of ‘harassment’ and ‘victimisation’, which were covered in 2012 rules. The definition of ‘discrimination’ was also critiqued for not covering ‘language’ and ‘ethnicity’. These have not been addressed in the final regulations either.
The draft rules faced further opposition from the All India OBC Students Association for not covering OBCs under the definition of ‘caste discrimination’. Another major point of contention was a provision for penalising ‘false complaints’ through fines and disciplinary proceedings. Both of these points have been accounted for in the final regulations.
Now, how effectively these provisions are implemented across campuses will determine whether the regulations translate into tangible protection and equity for students and staff.
[DS]
Suggested Reading: