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  • Smoke and noise pollution engulfs Indian cities on Diwali despite green crackers and police directives
  • Opposition challenges Modi over ‘dimagi Naxal’ remark. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the expression during Diwali celebrations at a CRPF camp in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, Rahul Gandhi challenged him to an open debate on who was anti-national and who was controlled by foreign forces. Other Opposition leaders also criticised the Prime Minister's remarks
  • BJP prepares a three-pronged strategy for Uttar Pradesh elections. The party is planning separate organisational efforts for the 2027 Assembly polls, including a central team led by Vinod Tawde and a grassroots outreach exercise targeting panchayat representatives. The reported ambition is to win more than 300 seats
  • Supreme Court reiterates automatic suspension rule for public servants in custody. The Court said a government employee who remains in judicial custody for more than 48 hours is deemed to be under suspension without the need for a separate order
  • Government allocates 4,000 square metres for Central Secretariat Library. The Union government has set aside space at Netaji Nagar in Delhi for the library, which must move from Shastri Bhawan before the building's demolition under the Central Vista project. The Supreme Court, which had taken suo motu cognisance of concerns over the library's relocation, is scheduled to hear the matter on November 16
  • 15. Delhi's post-Diwali pollution remains a serious concern. Delhi's air quality deteriorated sharply after firecrackers were burst despite restrictions, with the city recording an AQI of 370 on Monday morning and several localities crossing 400. The episode has renewed questions about enforcement of pollution-control measures during the festival.
  • 15. Delhi's post-Diwali pollution remains a serious concern. Delhi's air quality deteriorated sharply after firecrackers were burst despite restrictions, with the city recording an AQI of 370 on Monday morning and several localities crossing 400. The episode has renewed questions about enforcement of pollution-control measures during the festival.
  • Markets closed today for Diwali holiday. The NSE and BSE are shut on Tuesday, November 10. In the previous trading session on Monday, the Sensex gained 107.25 points, or 0.13%, to close at 81,106.65, while the Nifty 50 rose 58.25 points, or 0.23%, to 25,044.65
  • India-New Zealand third ODI delayed by wet outfield. The match scheduled for Tuesday in Hamilton had not begun by the morning update, with the toss delayed because of a wet outfield. India entered the match with a 2-0 lead in the five-match series
  • Suryakumar Yadav named Mumbai captain for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The India T20 captain has been appointed to lead Mumbai in the domestic T20 competition, adding an international star to the state's campaign
  • Smriti Mandhana to lead India across all formats in South Africa
  • Supreme Court questions the continuing relevance of two-child norms. The Court observed that falling fertility rates have weakened the population-control rationale behind laws disqualifying people with more than two children from contesting local body elections. It referred the issue to a larger Bench for consideration
  • Supreme Court declines to shift Tirupati laddu case outside Andhra Pradesh. The Court rejected a plea seeking transfer of the trial, despite arguments that political statements by Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister could affect the fairness of proceedings
  • Supreme Court transfers Azam Khan's fresh ED bail plea to Allahabad High Court. The apex court declined to consider the Samajwadi Party leader's bail request in a fresh Enforcement Directorate case and directed that it be listed before a division Bench of the High Court on November 16
  • Two killed in Delhi building collapse; contractor booked. Two bodies were recovered after a building collapsed in Chawri Bazaar. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the contractor had been booked and the concerned junior and assistant engineers suspended
After talks between PM Modi and Ukranian President Zelensky, India offered to help build a food corridor in Black Sea
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UGC New Regulation: Students Need Protection, Not Committees

By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2026-11-10 06:43:33

About the Author

Sunil Garodia The India Commentary view

The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it is contemplating a committee to review the UGC's 2026 equity regulations. That is not a plan. The Court stayed the regulations on January 29, and more than nine months later the government has not named a member, a mandate or a deadline.

The delay has a cost. The 2012 regulations, largely advisory, are what govern campuses today. The 2026 text promised an Equity Committee meeting within 24 hours of a complaint and a report within 15 working days. Students have none of that now. The data show why they need it. Complaints reported to the UGC rose from 173 in 2019-20 to 378 in 2023-24. Of 122 student suicides in centrally funded institutions between 2014 and 2021, 68 were of SC, ST and OBC students.

The regulations were also flawed, and the Court was right to say so. Regulation 3(1)(c) confines caste-based discrimination to SC, ST and OBC victims, while 3(1)(e) already covers unfair treatment of any stakeholder on grounds including caste. The two clauses must be reconciled in plain language. The final text dropped the 2025 draft's penalty for false complaints. It should return, with a clear line between a false complaint and an unproven one. The ragging and segregation provisions need repair. Equity Committees chaired by institutional heads need independent members and public reporting of anonymised outcomes.

The politics is plain. Uttar Pradesh votes in 2027, and BJP office-bearers resigned in January over the rules. A review that begins in electoral anxiety will end in dilution. The Centre must prove otherwise. Dalit, Adivasi and OBC students have waited long enough for enforceable protection, and they will read any retreat for what it is.

Before the next hearing, the government should publish the committee's composition, its terms of reference and a deadline. It should include jurists, educators and members of the affected communities. It should consult students of every background.

Caste bias does not pause while committees deliberate. The Court has done its part. The rules must now become clearer, not weaker, and the Centre must say when it will act.

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