In a writ petition filed before the Madhya Pradesh High Court to challenge a circular dated 02-02-2026 issued by the State Government excluding students of the general category from raising complaints of discrimination, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf issued notice and passed an interim direction for the Students Grievances Redressal Committee to consider discrimination complaints of students of all categories, including the general category.
It was contended that the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, had incorporated Clause 3(c) under the heading ‘Caste-based Discrimination’, where such discrimination was defined to be only based on caste/tribe against members of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (OBC). The petitioner submitted that an identical issue was also pending before the Supreme Court, but in respect of different regulations.
The Supreme Court formed a prima facie view that the impugned 2026 regulations suffered from certain ambiguities and the possibility of misuse, and kept them in abeyance. The petitioner asserted that three days after the said regulations were stayed, the State Government issued the impugned circular regarding the consideration of complaints by the Student Grievances Redressal Committee, which provided for the consideration only of complaints raised by SC/ST, OBC, women, minority, and PWD candidates. It was submitted that the said clause was discriminatory and that it excluded persons belonging to other categories, including the general category.
The Court issued notice to the respondents and granted them four weeks to file their replies. Till then, the Court directed the Students Grievance Redressal Committee to entertain complaints based on discrimination of students of all categories.
The matter is now listed after six weeks.
Appearances:
For Petitioner – Mr. Harshwardhan Sharma
For Respondents – Dr. Ajnkya Dagaonkar (Additional Solicitor General), Mr. Pradyumna Kibe (Govt. Adv)
