‘Were we sleeping for so many days, rules were not made’, Supreme Court strict on caste discrimination in colleges

SC On Caste Discrimination In Colleges: Describing caste discrimination as a delicate concern, the Supreme Court on Friday mentioned that it’s going to create an efficient mechanism to cope with it in instructional establishments in the nation. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjwal Bhuyan directed the UGC to inform draft rules to make sure that there is no such thing as a caste-based discrimination towards college students in central, state, non-public and deemed universities.

The bench directed the UGC to furnish knowledge on the variety of establishments which have arrange equal alternative cells in compliance with the UGC Equality Regulations 2012.

Supreme Court’s directions to UGC
“We are equally conscious of this sensitive issue. We will do something. We have to find some effective modalities to see how the 2012 rules are implemented in reality,” the bench mentioned. The bench sought a response from the Center on this concern and requested the UGC to submit inside six weeks details about complaints of such discrimination amongst college students in all universities and better schooling establishments and the motion taken on them.

Rohit Vemula had dedicated suicide

Rohit Vemula was a PhD scholar at Hyderabad Central University who dedicated suicide on 17 January 2016 after going through caste discrimination. While Tadvi, a scholar of TN Topiwala National Medical College, died on May 22, 2019, after she was allegedly discriminated towards by three medical doctors in her faculty. Senior advocate Indira Jaising instructed the court docket that since 2004, greater than 50 college students have dedicated suicide because of caste discrimination.

Court questions delay
Justice Surya Kant mentioned, “No concrete action has been taken on this petition since 2019. From now on, it will be listed for hearing on a regular basis.” New rules have been ready by UGC. Instructions have been given to submit these on the web site inside a month and invite strategies and objections from the general public. The bench questioned the UGC for the delay, saying that it had been sleeping for so lengthy that it may not make new rules. He mentioned that it needs to be notified as quickly as attainable, inside a month. In a PIL filed in 2019, it was alleged that caste discrimination continues in larger schooling establishments throughout the nation.

UGC’s counsel instructed the court docket {that a} committee had been constituted, which had given strategies to cease discrimination. On the premise of those suggestions, a draft of latest rules has been ready. This draft will quickly be put on the web site to obtain strategies from the general public. The Supreme Court has sought help from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta in the matter. Apart from this, the response of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has additionally been sought.