New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Centre on a plea seeking the enforcement of the equity regulation issued by the University Grant Commission in 2012 to end caste discrimination against SC/ST in universities, colleges and other institution of higher education.
The bench of Justices N.V.Ramana and Ajay Rastoti sought response from the Centre on a plea by Abeda Salim Tadvi and Radhika Vemula who have highlighted caste discrimination in educational institutions and flagrant disregard of the UGC regulation to curb caste discrimination in the higher education institutions.
Ms Tadvi and Ms Vemula are mothers of Payal Tadvi and Rohit Vemula who had ended their lives following harassment on grounds of caste.
At the outset of the hearing, Justice Ramana said, “When the UGC regulations are already there what further can we do?”
“Rules are there but they are not being implemented. There are 288 universities where equity commissions are not appointed,” senior counsel Indira Jaising, appearing for the petitioners, told the court.
The petitioners have pointed to the “rampant prevalence of caste-based discrimination in higher educational institutions throughout the country” reflecting “flagrant non-compliance with the existing norms and regulations in place for the same”.
Referring to several incidents of “caste-based discrimination against members of the SC/ST community”, the petitioners have contended that these incidents are violative of the fundamental rights to equality, right against discrimination, equal opportunity, abolition of untouchability, and right to life guaranteed under Article 14,15,16,17 and 21 of the Constitution.
Pointing out that the “equity regulation”, issued by the UGC way back in 2012, were inadequate, Ms Vemula and Ms Tadvi have urged the top court to issue guidelines to effectively end the discrimination rooted in caste prejudices in the institutions of higher education.
The petitioners have said that the UGC had failed to take action against universities that do not comply with the equity regulations.
“Even in the universities that have provided the data, the majority of the universities have claimed that they did not receive any complaints of caste discrimination,” said the petitioners.
