New Delhi, Nov. 7 -- 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 "vague and could be misused". The process began with a January 3, 2025, Supreme Court order directing the UGC to frame fresh regulations within six weeks in petitions filed in 2019 by Radhika Vemula and Abeda Salim Tadvi, the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi. Tadvi, a second-year resident doctor pursuing a post-graduate degree, died by suicide at a Mumbai college hostel. Vemula was a PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad, whose death by suicide in 2016 sparked protests over alleged caste-based discrimination. The court also sought details of consultations and suggestions, along with university-wise data on Equal Opportunity Cells and complaints filed under the 2012 regulations. On February 27, 2025, the UGC released a draft prepared by a nine-member expert committee headed by Shailesh N Zala, former vice-chancellor of Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University, Gujarat. "The expert committee held over a dozen meetings. Before finalising the rules, they discussed over 300 suggestions on the draft, including those given by petitioners in the 2019 cases," said a UGC official, requesting anonymity. The petitioners later placed their recommendations before the SC. In its September 15, 2025, order, the court recorded suggestions made by senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for them. These included a clear ban on discriminatory practices and segregation in hostels, classrooms and practical batches; digitised scholarship tracking, stronger grievance redressal and protection for complainants, personal liability for institutional negligence, specialised mental-health counselling, and social audits and equity-linked accreditation; and stronger UGC action against institutions. The final regulations were notified on January 13, 2026. However, on January 29, the Supreme Court stayed the rules, saying some provisions were prima facie vague and could have "dangerous impacts"....