Relevance: GS II (Social Justice) | Source: The Hindu
1. The Human Context: A Judicial “Stop” Sign
The Supreme Court has hit the pause button on the new UGC Equity Regulations 2026.
- The Concern: The judges felt that in the rush to fix discrimination, the new rules might accidentally “divide society” even further.
- The Order: Using its special power (Article 142), the Court said the new rules are on hold. For now, colleges will go back to the old 2012 Rules until a panel of experts can fix the flaws.
2. Why the Judges were Worried
The Court raised some very practical, human questions that the rules missed:
- The “Class” Problem: The rules assume only upper castes harass lower castes. The judges asked: “What if a rich student from a reserved category bullies a poor student from the same category?” The rules had no answer for this intra-caste conflict.
- Fear of Ghettos: The idea of creating separate facilities (like hostels) to prevent bias terrified the Court. They warned this would lead to “segregation,” creating permanent walls between students instead of friendships.
- Vague Words: Terms like “discrimination” were so broad that they could be misused to punish students for minor disagreements.
3. The Way Forward
The Court hasn’t cancelled the fight against discrimination; it just wants a better battle plan. A committee of top jurists will now sit down to draft rules that unite campuses rather than splitting them into silos.
| Concept / Article | Relevance for Prelims |
| Article 142 | The “Complete Justice” article. It gives the Supreme Court the power to pass any order necessary to solve a problem if existing laws are insufficient or creating a deadlock. |
| Abeyance | A fancy legal word for “Paused.” The 2026 rules are not dead (struck down), they are just sleeping (in abeyance) until further notice. |
| Intra-Caste Discrimination | Discrimination that happens within a caste group (e.g., based on wealth or sub-caste), often overlooked by laws that focus only on Inter-Caste conflict. |
Q. With reference to the Indian Constitution, Article 142 empowers the Supreme Court to:
- Advise the President on matters of public importance.
- Pass any decree or order necessary for doing “complete justice” in any pending matter.
- Adjudicate disputes regarding the election of the President and Vice-President.
- Appoint judges to the High Courts and Supreme Court.
Correct Answer: (2)
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