India, Jan. 29 -- Caste is among India's oldest faultlines, one that has resisted multiple attempts to eradicate discrimination and instead mutated into newer forms over time. Caste bias in campuses is a reality documented both by personal accounts as well as government data on student dropouts and faculty strength. It, therefore, stands to reason that the government should try to safeguard people from marginalised backgrounds. Unfortunately, efforts in this direction have been stymied by poor implementation or grassroots resistance even as education has emerged as a silver bullet for millions of Indians trying to build a better life.

The latest attempt in this direction has landed in controversy after the University Grants Commission (U...