Bhakti Mehare, Hema Ahuja, and Ankita Khandelwal—3 of her seniors—were initially arrested on charges of harassment & casteist remarks but later released on bail. Case remains stalled.
On 28 December 2003, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam delivered an address to mark the 50th anniversary of the UGC in New Delhi, outlining the role of the education sector and universities in national development.
In September 2025, the Supreme Court directed the UGC to tighten anti-discrimination rules, including policies on ragging and caste bias in higher educational institutions.
As the matter is currently sub-judice, ABVP says UGC should promptly file an affidavit in court to clarify its stance. Also that govt must 'take prompt action to prevent any divisive situation from developing'.
Some BJP leaders demand rollback of UGC rules to combat caste discrimination on campuses. Upper caste students say rules are one-sided & could lead to 'reverse bias' against them.
Kerala & Karnataka govt have said they wouldn’t adopt the curriculum. Over 900 academics signed petition against draft mathematics curriculum last month, urging UGC to withdraw it.
The council will replace the previous grading method with a new 'maturity-based grading system', which will make it more difficult for institutions to achieve higher grades.
The JD(U) called for the draft legislation to be amended to protect state power. The new rules give greater power to chancellor—usually Centre-appointed state governor—in the process.
The University Grants Commission has released the draft in the public domain for a month, seeking suggestions, after which it will release the final guidelines.
The collusion between the new class of bureaucrats, politicians, businessmen and trade union bosses perpetuates itself partly because of the short-run benefits and partly because they see no way out of the system, wrote author MH Mody in 1980.
IAF is firming up plans to revamp airlift capabilities with medium transport aircraft that will be assembled in India & serve as its main workhorse. Embraer is leading contender as of now.
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