India, Jan. 16 -- The Government has notified new regulations mandating all higher education institutions to form "equity committees" to look into discrimination complaints and promote equity, according to officials.

The University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, mandated that these committees must include members of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Scheduled Tribes (STs), persons with disabilities, and women. A draft of the regulations was made public for feedback in February last year. The document was issued after the Supreme Court told the UGC to submit the new regulations while hearing a plea by the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi,...