SC: UGC Needs “Teeth” to Enforce Action Against Caste Discrimination in Colleges

In the last 14 months, over 18 cases of suicides due to caste discrimination have been reported in higher educational institutions, especially in IITs and IIMs. The Supreme Court expressed regret regarding the “extremely unfortunate” incidents and emphasized the need for a strong system to address these issues. Justice Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh stated that the University Grants Commission (UGC) must be given sufficient “teeth” to enforce harsh punishment in such cases.

Rohith Vemula was a PhD scholar at a Hyderabad university who allegedly faced caste discrimination and died by suicide in 2016. In 2019, Payal Tadvi, a medical student at Mumbai’s TN Topiwala National Medical College, allegedly faced discrimination because of her caste and also died by suicide. The news of their tragic deaths made national headlines and sparked protests, but over time their stories were overshadowed by other violent and abusive news reports.

The petitioners (the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi) were assured by the Supreme Court that a robust mechanism will be developed to tackle the issue of caste discrimination and suicides and that this matter will be taken to a logical end.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising, representing the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi, said that universities and colleges are yet to submit the complete data regarding the deaths by suicides that occurred on their campuses. About 40% of the universities and more than double that percentage of colleges have not yet developed systems that address issues of inequalities such as caste and gender among students, she added.

In 2019, the original petition was filed to seek the help of the court to enforce fundamental rights against caste discrimination as well as the right to equality and life. The petitioners had argued that the existing UGC regulations (formulated in 2012) are inadequate as they don’t have any sanction for violation of norms. Indira Jaising suggested that rules that impose strict action in case of violation, such as the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act and the anti-ragging law, are needed.

Tishar Mehta, the Solicitor-General, representing the center, stated that the UGC has created draft regulations that address most of the concerns of the petitioners and have been published on the UGC website for feedback or suggestions from the public and stakeholders. Considering this, the supreme court has scheduled the next hearing after 8 weeks (May 2025).

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Dr. Nethra Suryanarayanan/MSM)