'What has changed is that the new regulations are backed by a clear enforcement framework. They have real consequences and, for the first time, make compliance unavoidable.'
The new UGC regulations mandating all higher education institutions to form "equity committees" to look into discrimination complaints and promote equity were notified on January 13.
The Supreme Court has stayed a recent University Grants Commission (UGC) regulation following petitions arguing that the Commission's definition of caste-based discrimination was too narrow, excluding certain categories from institutional protection.
The Supreme Court's stay on the UGC equity regulations aimed at preventing caste-based discrimination on campuses has been met with mixed reactions. Opposition parties welcomed the decision, while some expressed concern over the implications for marginalized communities.
The University Grants Commission's (UGC) new regulations on promoting equity in higher education institutions have sparked protests and legal challenges. This article explains the regulations, the concerns raised, and the government's response.
'Once the actual scope is understood, it becomes evident that the framework is about internal redress and course correction, and in no way criminalisation.'
Two people died and over 300 were injured during the 'Dahi Handi' festival in Mumbai and Thane. The festival involves forming human pyramids to break pots of curd suspended in the air.
Dahi Handi celebrations in Mumbai were marked by fervor, injuries, and political campaigning ahead of local elections. One participant died, and several others were injured during the event.
The Supreme Court on Monday granted protection from arrest to psephologist Sanjay Kumar in connection with two FIRs lodged by the Election Commission of India accusing him of spreading misinformation over Maharashtra's electoral rolls through posts on social media.
A man in Gujarat allegedly murdered a five-year-old girl by slitting her throat and offered her blood on the steps of a temple in a suspected case of human sacrifice. The accused, Lala Tadvi, abducted the victim from her house in the presence of her mother and later inflicted fatal injuries on her neck using an axe. Police are investigating the motive behind the murder.
Tadvi's roommate and friend Snehal in her statement to the police, which is part of the chargesheet, has said Ahuja, Meher and Khandelwal used to harass and ill-treat them in front of other juniors, hospital staff and patients.
The Supreme Court of India has assured the creation of a robust mechanism to address the alarming number of suicides occurring in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The court was informed that 18 suicides had taken place in these institutions over the past 14 months. The court has also directed the University Grants Commission (UGC) to finalize draft regulations aimed at combating caste-based discrimination in educational institutions.
The police claimed that Payal Tadvi's body had a few injury marks which needed to be probed further, for which the post-mortem report was awaited.
After the judge pronounced the order, the three accused broke down and started sobbing in the court.
The Supreme Court of India has announced its intention to establish an effective mechanism to address caste-based discrimination in educational institutions throughout the country. The court directed the University Grants Commission (UGC) to draft regulations to prevent such discrimination and to provide data on institutions that have implemented equal opportunity cells as mandated by the 2012 UGC equity regulations. The court's decision stems from a public interest litigation filed in 2019 highlighting the prevalence of caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions and its tragic consequences, including the suicides of students like Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi.
The accused -- Bhakti Mehere, Hema Ahuja and Ankita Khandelwal -- were arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of doctor Payal Tadvi by tormenting her with casteist slurs.
Vehicular movement on the busy Ghodbunder Road in Thane city was affected for over five hours after a truck fell from a flyover on Wednesday morning, civic officials said.
The construction lift in the 40-storey building located in Balkum area off the Ghodbunder Road here collapsed on Sunday evening.
A major fire broke out inside the industrial area of Dombivli in Thane after a boiler exploded at the plant of a chemical company.
A bench of Justices AS Bopanna and MM Sundresh asked the UGC to furnish the details of steps taken on a plea by the mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi.
The Congress leader from Gujarat said the Dalit community has given a call for a nationwide candle march on February 19 in support of Solanki, who was a first-year student of B.Tech (chemical) course.
A total of 19 legislators from the opposition Congress and Aam Aadmi Party were suspended from the Gujarat assembly for a day on Wednesday after they shouted slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party government before walking out of the House over the issue of a fake trainee PSI found undergoing training at a state-run police training academy.
'BJP has lot of money. Even a rich person like me is scared of taking on the financial muscle of the BJP.' 'What is the point of throwing money? Result toh aane wala nahi hai.'
The three doctors said in their bail plea they were not even aware of the victim's caste.
The suicide note, a crucial piece of evidence which was missing till now, mentions that three senior women doctors arrested in the case, used to hurl casteist abuses and intimidate her.
The victim, Dev Bhagwandas Tadvi, 14, a student of Bharti School in Baranpora area, was accosted by unidentified culprits when he was headed to his classroom on the first floor, the police said.
A 22-year-old person was killed and another one injured on Thursday after a tree fell on their hut in Mumbai as moderate to heavy rains lashed the city and its suburbs in the last 24 hours, officials said.
Four National Disaster Response Force teams are engaged in rescue work, he added. The village has around 50 houses, of which 17 were buried under the landslide, the official said.
Not just in the hostel, but in college too, they would block his way in the corridor; snatch his mobile; make him get up from where he was sitting; crowd around him in the mess; drag him into their room and threaten to hit him with a belt.
Raees Khan Pathan, 19, who used to prepare biscuits at the bakery, walked up to the accused and identified Sanabhai Baria, Dinesh Rajbhar, Suresh Vasava, Pankaj Gosai and Shailesh Tadvi.
India ended their campaign at the 17th Asian Junior Championships in style as they finished third by winning 17 overall medals, including 7 gold, 4 silver and 6 bronze at Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam on Monday.
India was deprived of at least three medals at the Asian Cross Country Championships in Bahrain due to an apparent goof-up by the Athletics Federation of India which did not field the required number of participants to be considered for team standings. India fielded three athletes each in senior men, senior women, junior men and junior women categories in the championships and except in case of the first, the country should have won a team bronze each in the remaining three as they secured the third highest aggregate points. But strangely, India did not get any medal in the championships held in Manama. Sources told PTI this was due to the reason that each country was to field four runners in each event though only the top three would be considered for counting of aggregate points for team results. India fielded only three runners in each event. Points are counted according to the position of each runner like one point for the winner, two for the second-place finisher and three for the third. The team which gets the lowest aggregate point will get the gold and so on.
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