How UGC’s new equity framework risks re-castigating Indian campuses
The Supreme Court of India recently mandated the creation of a “safe and inclusive environment” on university campuses—a noble pursuit intended to prevent student distress and address historical grievances following the suicides of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi. However, the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) execution of this mandate—through the Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026—has triggered a firestorm of controversy.
Instead of fostering harmony, the new guidelines threaten to make campuses more exclusive, weaponize “caste” identity against the General Category, and harden caste lines that modern India was meant to blur. Regrettably, constitutional protections introduced as time-bound corrective measures continue not only to persist but to solidify, even as Bharat approaches its 77th Republic Day.
The paradox of exclusivity
While the stated goal is inclusion, the 2026 Regulations have created a rigid and exclusionary framework. By explicitly recognizing discrimination only when directed against SC, ST, OBC, and EWS groups, the UGC has effectively stripped General Category students and faculty of protection under these rules. In a diverse academic environment, bias can be multidirectional. By codifying a one-way grievance mechanism, the UGC has created a legal vacuum in which a large segment of the campus population is deemed incapable of being a victim of discrimination.
This is not merely an oversight; it is a structural imbalance. The regulations have also removed earlier safeguards that penalized false or malicious complaints. This absence of due process opens the door to institutionalized harassment, where allegations can be weaponized for personal vendettas or academic rivalries without fear of consequence.
The great divergence: India vs. the United States
The timing of India’s policy shift is particularly striking when viewed against global trends. In 2026, the United States is actively dismantling Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) frameworks. After nearly 40 years in higher education in the U.S., I have observed how DEI initiatives often led to administrative bloat, ideological policing, and declining institutional standards. Finally, the U.S. federal government and major corporations are returning to merit-based evaluation.
While the West is acknowledging that identity-based accounting erodes excellence, India appears to be doubling down. By introducing “Equity Squads” and “Equity Ambassadors”—measures critics describe as ideological surveillance—India is importing a failed Western export just as the West is discarding it. I am afraid India will regret its decision.
Solidifying caste lines in the sand
For decades, the Indian Republic aspired to move toward a caste-blind society, where merit and character were the primary currencies. The 2026 UGC regulations do the opposite: they make caste the dominant lens through which campus interactions are interpreted.
The Indian Constitution recognized caste-based disadvantage as a temporary civilizational wound, one to be healed, not perpetuated. Reservations were conceived as corrective measures, not permanent social identities. Yet, nearly 77 years after the Republic’s founding, the UGC’s new rules risk formalizing caste consciousness in daily academic life.
When students are encouraged to see themselves first as representatives of a caste category and only secondarily as scholars, the university ceases to function as an intellectual space. It becomes a collection of fortified silos, governed by suspicion rather than trust, grievance rather than growth. By mandating 24/7 helplines and specialized “Squads” to monitor social behavior, the UGC is not merely protecting students—it is institutionalizing suspicion and dissolving the social fabric of the campus.
From meritocracy to mediocrity
The most dangerous casualty of this policy shift is meritocracy. When equity is defined by administrative policing rather than equal opportunity, the focus shifts from how well you perform to who you are.
The concern among academics and industry leaders in 2026 is that these regulations will trigger a ‘race to the bottom’. If faculty appointments, research grants, and student evaluations become subject to oversight by “Equity Committees” focused on identity-based statistics, the incentive for individual excellence diminishes. Excellence is inherently unequal—it requires differentiation. If performance gaps are reflexively interpreted as evidence of bias, institutions will default to the only safe outcome: mediocrity.
Conclusion: A regression in progress
The Supreme Court intended to prevent tragedy and foster empathy. The UGC, however, has interpreted this mandate as a license for bureaucratic overreach—one that discriminates against the General Category and treats the university campus as a permanent crime scene.
As India aspires toward Viksit Bharat, it cannot afford to anchor its brightest minds to the weight of round-the-clock identity policing. Progress demands prioritizing the individual over the collective and merit over identity. If caste lines continue to be etched into institutional stone, history may remember 2026 not as a year of social progress, but as the moment India traded its future for institutionalized division.
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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Formerly, a researcher in Italy, Japan, and France, he has widely travelled and came to the US in 1978. He was a faculty and academic administrator in several different universities in PA, TX, NJ, MN, WI, and NY, and an Executive Fellow in the White House S&T Policy during the Clinton administration.
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