SFI Opposes UGC's Draft Anti-Discrimination Regulations, Citing Weakening of Protections for Marginalized Students

The Students' Federation of India (SFI) has expressed strong opposition to the University Grants Commission's (UGC) draft anti-discrimination regulations, asserting that they fail to effectively address discrimination in higher education institutions and instead weaken existing mechanisms.
In a statement released by SFI President V.P. Sanu and General Secretary Mayukh Biswas, the organization highlighted concerns over the draft's narrowed definition of "caste-based discrimination," which pertains solely to members of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). This contrasts with the 2012 "Regulations on Promotion of Equity," which encompassed a broader spectrum of discrimination grounds, including caste, creed, language, religion, ethnicity, gender, and disabilities. SFI argues that this shift represents a deliberate dilution of protective measures.
The draft regulations also propose penalties for false complaints without clearly defining what constitutes a false complaint, potentially discouraging genuine victims from coming forward. SFI points to recent parliamentary responses indicating high dropout rates among reserved category students and the lack of caste-based data on student suicides, issues the draft regulations fail to address.
Moreover, the draft empowers the UGC to revoke recognition or withhold funding from institutions deemed non-compliant, a move SFI views as centralizing control and threatening the autonomy of state universities and autonomous institutions.
Reaffirming its commitment to social and economic justice on campuses, SFI continues to advocate for measures such as the enactment of the Rohith Vemula Act against caste discrimination, the establishment of Gender Sensitization Committees Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) in all educational institutions, and the strengthening of minority and SC/ST cells. The organization calls on the UGC to withdraw the draft regulations and implement genuine measures to ensure equity in higher education.