The Central government on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that it is considering constituting a committee to review the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, 2026, introduced to prevent caste-based discrimination in higher educational institutions.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told a bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi that the government is examining the issue to ensure that the concerns of all students are addressed and no section feels apprehensive or dissatisfied.

The bench also emphasised the need to safeguard the interests of every student and ensure that the younger generation is not adversely affected.

"Why don't you revisit the UGC Regulations?" the Court asked.

"The government has taken a decision that every student should be taken care of. Nobody should have any apprehension. Nobody should feel dissatisfied. We are also considering the interests of the younger generation. The government is contemplating appointing a committee," Mehta submitted.

The Court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, which were notified on January 13 and apply to all higher educational institutions across the country.

The petitions challenge the exclusion of students belonging to the general category from the grievance redressal mechanism under the Regulations.

The Supreme Court had earlier, in January, directed that the Regulations be kept in abeyance pending further consideration.

The 2026 Regulations require higher educational institutions to establish Equal Opportunity Centres and Equity Committees to implement policies and programmes for disadvantaged groups and examine complaints of discrimination.

The Regulations have also triggered protests outside the Court, with members of upper-caste communities alleging that the framework is one-sided and could be misused against them in educational institutions.

Before the Supreme Court, the petitioners argued that the Regulations are discriminatory as they deny students who do not belong to the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) or Other Backward Classes (OBC) access to institutional grievance redressal mechanisms and protection.

They sought directions restraining the implementation of the Regulations in their present form and a declaration that denying access to grievance redressal mechanisms on the basis of caste identity amounts to "impermissible State discrimination".

The petitioners further contended that the selective framework could encourage hostility against students belonging to non-reserved categories and turn a policy intended to promote equality into a source of division.

After the Centre informed the Court that it was examining the possibility of constituting a committee to revisit the Regulations, the bench deferred the hearing.