Today, On 24th April, The Supreme Court has slammed the suicides linked to caste discrimination in higher educational institutions, calling it “extremely unfortunate.” It has granted the University Grants Commission (UGC) permission to announce new regulations aimed at addressing caste-based discrimination and preventing such tragic incidents.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court granted the University Grants Commission (UGC) permission to announce its regulations aimed at tackling caste-based discrimination and suicides in higher education institutions.
The court clarified that its recent decision to establish a National Task Force (NTF) to address suicides linked to campus discrimination will not impede this process.
The court addressing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Radhika Vemula and Abeda Salim Tadvi, the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi, who took their own lives in 2016 due to alleged caste discrimination.
The 2019 petition called for the enforcement of strong anti-discrimination measures in higher education institutions, highlighting the failure to implement the UGC’s 2012 equity regulations.
The petitioners requested that the court postpone finalizing the UGC’s draft on the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2025, citing potential overlap with the issues raised in their petition.
However, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh rejected this request, stating,
“There are numerous sections of society, that we may call voiceless people, who are waiting for these regulations. If they get some protection, respect, safety and security out of these regulations, let them get it.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the UGC, informed the court that a meeting was in progress to finalize the draft regulations.
The court responded,
“We deem it appropriate to clarify that UGC may proceed with finalisation of its Draft Regulations 2025 and may notify the same.”
It emphasized that these regulations would complement the recommendations made by the NTF, chaired by former Supreme Court Justice (retd.) S Ravindra Bhat, which includes representatives from various ministries of the Government of India.
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Additionally, while ordering a police investigation into the deaths of two IIT Delhi students from the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities in 2023, the Supreme Court on March 24 tasked the NTF with identifying the main causes of student suicides, including those stemming from caste-based discrimination, and proposing measures to enhance protective mechanisms within four months.
The bench, led by Justice Kant, welcomed the formation of the NTF, noting that implementing such recommendations would take time.
“How will staying the UGC regulations help your cause? Let us assume the UGC regulations will partly address the problem. The NTF recommendations, once they come, will require a judicial command to come into operation or the Union government will be asked to implement it. This may take six months to one year. Till then, the new UGC regulations can do something better.”
Senior advocate Indira Jaising, representing the petitioners, expressed concerns regarding the draft UGC regulations. She noted that the regulations conflate issues of caste discrimination, sexual harassment, ragging, and discrimination against disabled individuals, which creates an administrative challenge since each form of discrimination manifests differently.
She also informed the court that although she has submitted her suggestions to the UGC, she should retain the right to challenge the validity of the final regulations once they are notified.
The bench stated,
“Pending recommendations of NTF and/or implementation of such recommendations and its consequential implementation, petitioner or any public-spirited person shall be at liberty to move appropriate application in these proceedings to suggest suitable addition, deletion or modifications to the regulations notified by the UGC.”
The court allowed the petitioners to present their suggestions to the NTF.
In previous hearings, the bench had described it as “extremely unfortunate that suicides were taking place in higher educational institutions (HEIs) due to caste discrimination and urged the Centre to establish a strong and robust mechanism to address this issue. “
The UGC had previously informed the court, on February 27, that the draft regulations aim to promote equity, inclusion, and non-discrimination in HEIs across India, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at Hyderabad Central University, died on January 17, 2016, while Payal Tadvi, a student at TN Topiwala National Medical College, passed away on May 22, 2019, after allegedly facing discrimination from three doctors at her college.
In a landmark case, the mothers of two students who died by suicide due to caste-based discrimination Rohit Vemula and Payal Tadvi filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking urgent reforms in higher education institutions (HEIs).
Rohit, a PhD scholar at Hyderabad Central University, took his life in January 2016, reportedly because of caste discrimination. Similarly, Payal, an Adivasi student at TN Topiwala National Medical College, died by suicide in May 2019 after continuing caste-based abuse from her colleagues.
The petitioners highlight rampant caste discrimination on campuses and institutional indifference. They argue that existing norms and regulations fail to address these issues effectively, lacking an independent redressal mechanism and punitive measures against institutions.
In 2023, the Supreme Court issued notice to the University Grants Commission (UGC) and emphasized the need for a strong system to prevent caste discrimination and protect students’ welfare. The petitioners call for Equal Opportunity Cells and independent, impartial complaint mechanisms in all universities and HEIs.
Case Title: Abeda Salim Tadvi and Anr. v. Union of India, W.P.(C) No. 1149/2019
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