UGC Must Have Teeth” to Curb Caste Discrimination in IITs, IIMs: SC

New Delhi- The Supreme Court on Friday emphasized the need for a “robust mechanism” to address caste-based discrimination in premier institutions like IITs and IIMs. The bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh termed the 18 student suicides in such institutions over the past 14 months as “extremely unfortunate” and stressed that the University Grants Commission (UGC) must be empowered to enforce punitive measures.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the mothers of Rohit Vemula, a Hyderabad University PhD scholar who died by suicide in 2016, and Payal Tadvi, a medical student at TN Topiwala National Medical College, Mumbai, who died in 2019. Both had faced caste-based discrimination.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising, representing the petitioners, pointed out that many universities and colleges had yet to report complete data on campus suicides, despite a court mandate. She also highlighted that over 40% of universities and nearly 80% of colleges had not implemented systems to address caste and gender-based inequalities.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that the UGC had drafted new regulations addressing these concerns and had sought public suggestions. Jaising, however, requested a final hearing before the rules are formalized, a plea opposed by Mehta.

The petition, originally filed in 2019, argues that caste discrimination remains widespread in higher education and that the existing 2012 UGC regulations lack enforcement mechanisms. The Supreme Court has now scheduled the next hearing in eight weeks.