Overview

• The Supreme Court has authorized the University Grants Commission (UGC) to notify its 2025 anti-discrimination regulations aimed at combating caste-based bias and student suicides in higher education institutions.
• The court clarified that these regulations will complement, not replace, the findings and recommendations of the National Task Force (NTF) established to investigate campus discrimination-linked suicides.
• Petitioners advocating for stronger anti-discrimination measures retain the right to propose amendments to the UGC regulations after their notification and once the NTF report is released.
• The UGC’s 2025 regulations, aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, empower the commission to take punitive actions, including de-recognizing non-compliant institutions.
• The National Task Force, chaired by Justice (retd.) S. Ravindra Bhat, has four months to deliver its recommendations, which will address systemic issues behind student suicides and campus discrimination.