UGC New Rules on Hold: Supreme Court Intervenes Amidst Widespread UP Protests

• The Supreme Court has stayed UGC's new rules, citing lack of clarity in language and potential for misuse.
• The court has asked the central government to re-draft the regulations; old 2012 rules remain in effect until March 19 hearing.
• Widespread protests erupted across Uttar Pradesh, with students and upper caste communities in Agra, Bareilly, Meerut, Gonda, Mahoba, Lalitpur, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, and Bulandshahr opposing the rules.
• Protesters, including former MP Brijbhushan Singh, allege the rules are discriminatory against upper castes and threaten national harmony.
• Several BJP leaders, including 11 booth presidents and an IT Cell convener, resigned in UP in protest against the new UGC regulations.

Why It Matters: Supreme Court halts UGC's new rules due to unclear language, prompting government to revise amidst widespread UP protests.