New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Sunday described the University Grants Commission (UGC)’s Equity Regulations, 2026, as “unbalanced” and called upon the Centre to ensure that any future decision on the rules is fair, balanced and inclusive.
In a statement shared by ‘Friends of RSS’, an independent social media account of RSS swayamsevaks on X, the organisation said its concerns regarding the UGC circular had already been conveyed to the authorities.
Both the Union government and the UGC had taken note of the objections.
The Supreme Court has since put the regulations on hold, and the matter is currently sub-judice.
RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar said the Sangh believed that any decision taken going forward must strike a balance and that the Union government must ensure the concerns of all stakeholders are duly considered.
He added that the same position should be consistently pursued before the court.
Ambekar cautioned against allowing the controversy surrounding a single government circular to affect social relations.
He stressed the larger responsibility of preserving unity within society, saying that if society remains strong and united, solutions to such problems would also emerge.
The remarks come amid debate over the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, which were notified on January 13.
The regulations were introduced to address caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions but have faced objections over the way they define discrimination and the categories of students covered by their provisions.
The process leading to the regulations began with a public interest litigation filed in the Supreme Court in 2019 by Radhika Vemula and Abeda Salim Tadvi, the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi, who died by suicide after facing caste-based discrimination at their respective universities.
In early 2025, the Supreme Court had directed the Union government to put in place a strong and robust mechanism to deal effectively with such incidents and allowed stakeholders to submit suggestions while the UGC prepared the draft rules.
The RSS has said that while the issue of discrimination must be addressed, the framework should remain fair and not disturb social harmony.
–IANS
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