New Delhi (Agency): The Supreme Court (SC) of India on July 6, 2023, demanded the University Grants Commission (UGC) to shed light on its actions and future plans to ensure an unbiased, empowering environment for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) students within higher education institutions, categorizing it as a “grave matter.”
In a plea presented by the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi, students who tragically ended their own lives following alleged caste-based discrimination, Justices AS Bopanna and MM Sundresh demanded a comprehensive report from the UGC detailing the measures taken to prevent similar occurrences.
Vemula, a Dalit Ph.D. scholar from Hyderabad Central University, and Tadvi, a tribal student at Mumbai’s TN Topiwala National Medical College, allegedly faced severe caste discrimination leading to their untimely demise. Their heartbreaking stories exposed the harsh reality of caste prejudice that still permeates India’s educational sphere, leading to calls for significant action.
Responding to the urgency of the matter, the court sternly asked the UGC, “What strategies have been deployed, and how do you propose to tackle such issues? This is a non-adversarial issue demanding solid actions from UGC for students’ and parents’ welfare. The goal should be to prevent such incidents from recurring.”
Senior advocate Indira Jaising, representing the grieving mothers, revealed that three more students from premier institutions had taken their lives in the past year, intensifying the need for binding guidelines for universities to follow.
Existing rules fail to exercise a binding effect as there are no sanctions for breaches. In contrast, Jaising pointed out, regulations like the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) at Workplace Act and the anti-ragging law impose punitive measures for violations. She also highlighted the shortcomings of the UGC’s 2012 equity regulations in addressing on-campus caste discrimination complaints.
Acknowledging the severity of the situation, the UGC confirmed its communication with university vice-chancellors and college principals. However, Justice Sundresh emphasized the importance of mainstreaming SC/ST students to prevent dropouts, suggesting that innovative solutions were needed.
As a result, the Supreme Court demanded that UGC consider the petitioners’ suggestions and file a response detailing the steps taken and planned to ensure a non-discriminatory environment on campuses within a four-week period.
The petition seeks enforcement of fundamental rights, including equality, prohibition of caste discrimination, and right to life. It calls for strict compliance with the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012, and urges the establishment of Equal Opportunity Cells and other anti-discrimination internal complaint mechanisms in universities and Higher Education Institutions (HEI).
The plea emphasizes the necessity of strong disciplinary actions against victimization of students or staff reporting caste-based discrimination, and calls for interim relief measures protecting complainants from a hostile environment.
Citing over 20 documented suicides by students since 2004, the plea claims systematic discrimination against SC, ST students in matters of supervisor allocation, caste-based abuses, scholarship issues, and more, underlining the urgent need to end caste-based discrimination on campuses.