Hundreds of students from Delhi University (DU) staged a march at the North Campus on Tuesday, February 3, demanding the immediate implementation of the UGC Equity Regulations 2026. The protest, called the “Equity March,” was organised by several student groups, including the All-India Students’ Association (AISA).
Holding placards and raising slogans, the protesting students said that the recent judicial stay on the regulations has derailed long-pending efforts to address caste-based discrimination in higher education. They argued that the halt has come as a major setback for marginalised communities seeking institutional accountability and protection.
Addressing the gathering, students stressed that the Equity Regulations are not merely procedural guidelines but a crucial framework to ensure safeguards and accountability for students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC). They asserted that the rules must be implemented in the spirit of the proposed ‘Rohith Act’.
The ‘Rohith Act’ refers to the proposed Rohith Vemula Act, which calls for a central law to prevent caste- and identity-based discrimination against students in Indian higher education institutions. The proposed legislation is named after Rohith Vemula, a research scholar at the University of Hyderabad who allegedly died by suicide in 2016 following caste-based discrimination.
Protesters said the regulations were the outcome of years of sustained student movements across university campuses in the country. They alleged that the stay on these rules would once again create an atmosphere of insecurity for students from marginalised sections within universities.
Speaking at the protest, former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Nitish said, “After years of sacrifice and struggle on the streets, we compelled the University Grants Commission (UGC) to introduce rules that would ensure accountability. The stay on these guidelines clearly shows that casteism remains deeply entrenched at the highest levels of our institutions. We will not sit quietly until real equality is achieved.”
The students reiterated that they would continue their protests until the UGC Equity Regulations 2026 are implemented without delay.
