Court directs Students Grievances Redressal Committee to entertain complaints from all student categories after plea challenges State circular issued following Supreme Court stay on UGC Equity Regulations
Committee Directed To Hear All Categories
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the Students Grievances Redressal Committee to consider discrimination complaints from all categories of students.
This includes students belonging to the General category.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf passed the direction in a petition challenging a circular issued by the State Government on February 2.
Challenge To February 2 Circular
The petitioner challenged the circular on the ground that it excluded General category students.
According to the petitioner, the circular allowed only certain categories of students to raise discrimination-related complaints before the Committee.
The Bench, however, directed the Committee to entertain complaints from all categories.
It said the Committee must also consider complaints from General category students, if they raise allegations of discrimination.
The Court added that the Committee must deal with such complaints in accordance with law.
Petitioner’s Argument On UGC Regulations
Counsel for the petitioner, Amber Sharma, referred to Clause 3(c) of the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026.
He argued that the clause defined caste-based discrimination only with reference to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
Therefore, the petitioner submitted that the clause excluded students from non-reserved and General categories.
The petitioner also relied on Mritunjay Tiwari v. Union of India.
He argued that the regulation proceeded on an unfounded presumption.
According to him, it wrongly assumed that caste discrimination can never operate against persons from non-reserved or General categories.
Supreme Court Proceedings Cited
The petitioner also referred to the proceedings before the Supreme Court in Mritunjay Tiwari v. Union of India.
In that case, petitions challenged the constitutional validity of the UGC Equity Regulations, 2026.
The Supreme Court had framed four substantial questions of law in the matter.
Further, the petitioner submitted that the Supreme Court had noted possible ambiguities in the Regulations.
He also submitted that the Court had observed that the Regulations could possibly be misused.
State Circular Issued After Supreme Court Order
The petitioner submitted that the State issued the February 2 circular three days after the Supreme Court kept the UGC Regulations, 2026 in abeyance.
The circular dealt with discrimination complaints filed by Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, women, minority and PWD candidates.
However, the petitioner argued that it did not include non-reserved and General category students.
As a result, he claimed that the circular excluded General category students from the grievance redressal mechanism.
Notice Issued To Union And State
After recording the submissions, the High Court issued notice to the Union of India and the State.
The matter will now be listed after six weeks.
The next date of hearing is June 15, 2026.
Case Details
Case Title: Amber Sharma v. Union of India
Case No.: WP-5676-2026
Court: Madhya Pradesh High Court
Bench: Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf
Appearances
For the Petitioner: Advocate Harshwardhan Sharma
For the Union: Additional Solicitor General Dr. Ajnkya Dagaonkar
For the State: Government Advocate Pradyumna Kibe
