ArdorComm Media News Network
January 16, 2026
The Union government has notified fresh regulations making it compulsory for all colleges and universities across the country to establish equity committees aimed at addressing discrimination and promoting inclusivity on campus, officials said.
Under the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, every higher education institution (HEI) must constitute an Equal Opportunity Centre (EOC) along with an Equity Committee. These bodies will handle complaints related to discrimination and ensure fair treatment of students, faculty, and staff from disadvantaged groups.
The regulations require that equity committees include representatives from Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), persons with disabilities (PwDs), and women. Members will serve a two-year term, while special invitees will hold office for one year.
The draft version of these regulations was released for public consultation in February last year. The final notification follows directions from the Supreme Court, which had asked the UGC to frame new rules while hearing petitions filed by the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi. The petitions questioned the implementation of the earlier 2012 UGC regulations on equity.
As per the notification, every HEI must set up an Equal Opportunity Centre to ensure the effective implementation of policies for disadvantaged groups, offer academic, financial, social, and personal guidance, and encourage diversity on campus. In cases where a college does not have at least five faculty members, the responsibilities of the centre will be handled by the Equal Opportunity Centre of the affiliated university.
The EOC is also expected to coordinate with civil society organisations, local media, law enforcement agencies, district administrations, non-governmental organisations, parents, and institutional staff to fulfil the objectives of the regulations. Additionally, it will work with District and State Legal Services Authorities to provide legal assistance in deserving cases.
The head of the institution will appoint a senior faculty member or professor with a demonstrated commitment to the welfare of disadvantaged communities as the coordinator of the centre. The Equity Committee, formed under the EOC, will oversee its functioning and investigate complaints of discrimination.
The regulations also call for the creation of ‘Equity Squads’, smaller groups tasked with maintaining vigilance on campus and preventing discriminatory practices.
The move comes in the backdrop of high-profile cases such as that of Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad who died by suicide in 2016, and Payal Tadvi, a resident doctor who died in 2019, both allegedly after facing caste-based harassment.
Source: PTI