Karnataka Higher Education Minister Vouches For Protecting The Interest Of Marginalised Communities On Recent UGC Guidelines.

Bengaluru; January 2026: Karnataka Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar emphasised that higher education institutes must safeguard the interests of marginalised communities in the light of the new University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations.

Speaking to the media outlets on 27th January 2026 (Tuesday), Sudhakar reiterated that the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has called for stricter enforcement of laws against discrimination in educational institutions, adding that a bill drafted by the state government had faced criticism.

“Rahul Gandhi is repeatedly saying that we should bring in some legislation to see that discrimination should not happen in the places of higher education institutions. Our government had prepared a Bill regarding this, but some concerns were raised”, he said. He further urged action from the higher education institutes in this regard, adding that the state government has discussed this discrimination.

“We must address this issue, but at the same time, it is our duty to protect the interests of the down trodden marginalised communities such as ST, SC and backward classes. Higher education institutes should be above this. I have not talked to the CM, but he is aware of it. Discussions took place on this discrimination”, the Minister added. Sudhakar also asserted that the state government is aiming to draft a bill to address the concerns on this matter. “We are looking at bringing in equality and our Bill would address all these concerns”, he noted.

In a recent development, suspended City Magistrate of Bareilly, Alankar Agnihotri, urged the central government to intervene, alleging constitutional failure in Uttar Pradesh. Escalated his protest against the Uttar Pradesh administration, Agnihotri claimed growing support from Brahmin organisations against the Uttar Pradesh administration, claiming growing support from Brahmin organisations across multiple states and alleging failure of constitutional machinery in the state.

Speaking to the media during his ongoing protest in Bareilly, Agnihotri said that several organisations and members of the Brahmin community from 06 states were in touch with him. “Various organisations and Brahmin communities from our 06 states are in contact. Many people, including elected representatives, have expressed concern that the UGC regulations published in the Government of India Gazette on January 13, 2026, will be highly detrimental to the country”, he said.

Agnihotri further linked the issue to what he described as an insult to Sanatan culture and the Brahmin community during the Mahakumbh Mela. “All the organisations have also supported the cause regarding the insult to the Sanatan culture, specifically the insult to the Brahmin community at the Mahakumbh Mela. We are all united and will continue the fight for our community”, he said. Reiterating allegations made earlier, Agnihotri claimed that the constitutional system in Uttar Pradesh had broken down.

“The constitutional machinery has failed. The government is working with a particular ideology, and there is an opposing ideology”, he alleged. The suspended officer jointly appealed to the Union leadership for intervention. “I urge the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, the Defence Minister, and the Home Minister, Amit Shah, to immediately seek a report from the Governor of Uttar Pradesh and impose President’s Rule here. The failed constitutional machinery should be removed at once”, he said.

Agnihotri has been protesting since resigning from his post, alleging attempts to confine him, caste-based harassment, and administrative misuse of power He has also demanded a and administrative misuse of power. He has also demanded a Special Investigation Team probe into the circumstances surrounding his suspension.

While, reacting to the new University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations to deal with caste-based discrimination, Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai on Tuesday alleged that the Central government was trying to “divide people through the UGC”. Speaking to media outlets, Ajay Rai said, “The way they did Hindu-Muslim to hide their failure, now through the UGC, they are trying to divide people. I believe they are about to go now; they are in their final stages. Gujarat’s industrialists are

running all the big businesses. They want to somehow stay in power. In Hindus they want to create divisions. The Congress party will not let this happen, for the Congress, everyone is united. The system that was in place during our time should now be implemented more firmly.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan yesterday sought to allay concerns over the new University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations, assuring that the law would not be misused and that there would be no discrimination in its implementation. Speaking to the reporters, Pradhan said, “I assure everyone there will be no discrimination and no one can misuse the law”.

Pradhan’s remarks came after new rules notified by the UGC on January 13th, which update its 2012 regulations on the same subject, have sparked widespread criticism from general category students, who argue that the framework could lead to discrimination against them. The new regulations, supposedly introduced to curb caste-based discrimination in colleges and universities, require institutions to establish special committees and helplines to address complaints, especially from SC, ST, and OBC students.

Meanwhile, in Lucknow, students staged a protest in front of Lucknow University, raising slogans against the UGC policies. Earlier, Shyam Sundar Tripathi, Vice President of the BJP Kisan Morcha from the Salon constituency in Rae Bareli, had resigned from his post, citing dissatisfaction over new UGC policies. Tripathi announced his resignation in a letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Due to the black law, like the reservation bill brought against the children of the upper caste, I am resigning from my post. This law is extremely dangerous for society and also divisive. I am completely dissatisfied with the bill. There is great resentment. I do not support this reservation bill. Supporting such an unethical bill is completely against my self-respect and ideology”, read the letter written in Hindi.

Team Maverick.