UGC Rules Uproar: Supreme Court Stays Controversial Equity Regulations 2026

• The Supreme Court has urgently stayed the UGC's new Equity Regulations 2026, calling them vague and prone to misuse.
• The controversy arose after a provision for punishing false complaints, present in the draft, was removed from the final rules.
• Congress MP Digvijaya Singh clarified that the parliamentary committee never recommended removing the false complaint penalty and accused UGC/Ministry of Education of ignoring key suggestions.
• BJP MP Karan Bhushan stated he had no contribution to the rules and called for UGC to respect public sentiment.
• The final rules, which sparked nationwide protests and petitions, were altered at the UGC/Ministry of Education level despite unanimous committee recommendations.

Why It Matters: Supreme Court halts UGC's new equity rules due to vagueness and misuse concerns, sparking a redrafting directive.