Udaipur, January 4, 2025 - The Supreme Court recently heard a case filed by the mothers of two students, Rohit Vemula and Payal Tadvi, who died by suicide due to caste discrimination in their universities. The petitioners asked the Court to look into caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions (HEIs) and how effective the existing laws are to stop it.

The court has asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) to gather and share information from all types of universities (central, state, private, and deemed) about their Equal Opportunity Cells, which are supposed to address discrimination. The UGC also needs to provide details on the number of complaints received under a 2012 regulation aimed at promoting equality in HEIs.

The Petitioners Raised Three Key Points

1. How many universities have set up Equal Opportunity Cells?

2. What is the makeup of these cells (who is part of them)?

3. How is the UGC monitoring if the 2012 regulations are being followed?

The Court also asked the UGC to present new regulations and provide more data on caste-based discrimination. The Court acknowledged the sensitive nature of the issue, particularly the suicides of students from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). The court will continue hearing the case to ensure that these regulations are properly implemented.

Rohit Vemula and Payal Tadvi died in 2016 and 2019, respectively, due to caste discrimination. Their mothers filed this petition to make sure that such discrimination does not happen again in other universities. They also want a more effective and fair system for reporting and addressing caste discrimination on campuses.

The Court has asked the government and relevant agencies to respond to the petition within the next four weeks.

Source: Media Reports