Petition Description

We, the undersigned citizens of India, respectfully submit this petition to express our serious constitutional and policy concerns regarding the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, along with the continuing expansion of reservation-in-reservation frameworks and disproportionately high cut-off thresholds for General Category candidates in government examinations.

While the objective of promoting equity and eliminating discrimination in higher education is constitutionally legitimate and socially necessary, the design and implementation of the above-mentioned regulations raise significant questions under Article 14 of the Constitution of India, which guarantees equality before law and equal protection of laws to all citizens.

The 2026 UGC Regulations mandate the constitution of Equity Committees and Equal Opportunity Centres with compulsory representation of certain protected groups. However, the regulations do not provide any mandatory representation or institutional safeguards for General Category students, despite recognising them as stakeholders under the same regulatory framework.

This omission creates a structural imbalance in grievance redressal mechanisms, where allegations of discrimination may be adjudicated without adequate representation of the accused General Category stakeholders, and without explicit safeguards against malicious or baseless complaints.

Simultaneously, General Category candidates continue to face:

• Escalating cut-off marks in competitive government examinations,
• Diminishing access to public educational opportunities,
• Expansion of reservation benefits within already reserved categories,
• And a growing absence of proportional representation in decision-making bodies.

These developments cumulatively risk transforming merit-based opportunity into a selective privilege, thereby alienating a significant segment of India’s youth and accelerating academic and professional migration (brain drain) to foreign nations.

This petition does not oppose affirmative action, nor does it seek to undermine the constitutional rights of any community. Instead, it seeks a balanced, inclusive, and constitutionally compliant framework, where equity does not result in the exclusion or invisibilisation of any citizen group.

We Therefore Respectfully Request the Government of India and the University Grants Commission to:

1. Initiate an immediate review of the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026.
2. Ensure equal procedural safeguards and representation for all stakeholders, including General Category students, in Equity Committees and grievance redressal mechanisms.
3. Introduce explicit provisions to prevent misuse or malicious invocation of discrimination complaints.
4. Reassess reservation-in-reservation policies and disproportionately high cut-offs in government examinations to ensure compliance with Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution.
5. Engage in transparent, reasoned public dialogue on equity, merit, and inclusion rather than rhetorical or non-substantive responses.

We submit this petition in good faith, in the interest of constitutional integrity, national unity, and the long-term intellectual prosperity of India.