India, Nov. 6 -- The University Grants Commission's (UGC) 2026 equity regulations, now at the centre of a legal dispute over their definition of caste-based discrimination, followed a nearly seven-year legal battle and a year-long exercise involving an expert committee, stakeholder consultations and suggestions from petitioners seeking stronger safeguards against discrimination in higher education institutions.

On Thursday, the Union government told the Supreme Court that it was considering setting up a committee to reconsider the framework, and was examining the issue to ensure that "no section feels dissatisfied or apprehensive". The development comes over nine months after the court stayed the regulations, saying some provisions were ...