Addressing concerns, Pradhan said the regulations were framed to ensure justice and equity in higher education and warned against “misinformation” surrounding their intent. “I assure everyone there will be no discrimination and no one can misuse the law,” he said, adding that the government remains committed to protecting the rights of all students.
Despite the assurance, demonstrations continued to spread across Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Meerut, Sitapur and Amethi. Protesters raised slogans demanding the withdrawal of the new rules, calling them “discriminatory” against the general category. In Lucknow, students gathered near Lucknow University chanting “black law, take it back,” while in Sambhal, traders and youth groups wore black armbands and staged a bike rally.
The agitation has also triggered political fallout. Alankar Agnihotri, City Magistrate of Bareilly, resigned in protest, claiming the regulations, notified in the Government of India Gazette on January 13, would be “highly detrimental.” In Rae Bareli, Shyam Sundar Tripathi, vice-president of the BJP Kisan Morcha, stepped down from his post, citing dissatisfaction with the new UGC framework. BJP-linked farmer leaders and caste organisations in the region symbolically sent bangles to upper-caste Members of Parliament, accusing them of remaining silent.
Opposition leaders weighed in as well. Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said the new norms could become a tool for filing complaints and deepen social divisions, while several civil society groups demanded a rollback. A petition has also been filed in the Supreme Court by advocate Vineet Jindal, challenging the regulations as discriminatory and seeking a stay on key provisions, particularly Regulation 3(c).
The UGC has defended the changes, saying they stem from a Supreme Court directive issued in January 2025. The court had asked the commission to frame stricter rules to prevent caste-based discrimination in educational institutions, following petitions linked to the suicides of Rohith Vemula in 2016 and Dr Payal Tadvi in 2019. Earlier guidelines issued in 2012 were largely advisory and lacked enforcement mechanisms.
As protests continue and legal scrutiny intensifies, the Centre faces growing pressure to clarify the scope and safeguards of the new regulations. Several groups have announced plans for a nationwide bandh on February 1, signalling that the controversy over the UGC norms is far from over.
