Supreme Court on UGC New Rules Row: The Chief Justice, while issuing the order, stated that the 2012 regulations would be reinstated. The Supreme Court stated that the wording used in the regulations suggests that they could be misused.

UGC New Rules Row: The Supreme Court issued a significant order while hearing a case on the University Grants Commission's new rules. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi stated during the hearing that the new UGC rules are ambiguous and the potential for misuse cannot be ruled out. Following this, the court immediately suspended the new UGC rules. The next hearing in the case will now take place on March 19.

2012 rules will be implemented again

Chief Justice Surya Kant, while issuing the order, clarified that the old UGC regulations, from 2012, will remain in effect. The court noted that the words used in the new regulations appear to be susceptible to misuse. During the hearing, Justice Joymalya Bagchi stated that the court is serious about ensuring a fair and inclusive environment in society. He questioned the relevance of introducing “2C” when the “3E” provisions already exist.

Court's sharp comments

During the hearing, the petitioner's lawyer, Vishnu Shankar Jain, challenged Section 3(C) of the UGC Act, calling it unconstitutional. He argued that this provision is based solely on the assumption that general category students are discriminated against, which goes against the principle of equality enshrined in the Constitution. Chief Justice Surya Kant remarked that even after 75 years of independence, the country has not been able to completely free itself from the entanglements of caste.

Situation like America should not arise: Justice Bagchi

Justice Joymalya Bagchi cited the historical context of the United States during the hearing. He stated that he hoped India would never reach the situation where Black and White children were once forced to attend separate schools. The court made it clear that any kind of institutional division in society is unacceptable.

Petitioner's major demand

The petitioner asked the court to completely strike down the new UGC regulations and immediately stays them. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain argued that if allowed, they could draft a better and more balanced regulation.

Court's concern over growing division in society

During the hearing, Chief Justice Surya Kant questioned whether we were regressing from the progress made over the past 75 years towards a classless society, moving towards a regressive one. He expressed serious concern over the growing class and identity-based divisions in society. Commenting on ragging, the CJI said that the most worrying thing is that students from South India or the Northeast face comments due to their culture. Reacting strongly to this, he said, "For heaven's sake, inter-caste marriages are even taking place in our society today. I myself have lived in hostels where everyone lived together."

Suggestion to form a committee

Expressing concern over the new UGC regulations, the CJI told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that a committee of eminent individuals should be considered to review the issue. The court said the objective should be to ensure society progresses without divisions and that everyone progresses together.

PC:NDTVINDIA