Allahabad High Court Lawyers Protest UGC’s PEHEIR 2026, Call It Divisive and Unconstitutional
A large group of lawyers from the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday organized a massive protest against the University Grants Commission’s newly introduced Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations (PEHEIR), 2026.
The demonstration took place at Ambedkar Crossing near the High Court premises, where protesting advocates raised slogans against the regulation, symbolically burnt copies of the UGC notification, and strongly demanded its immediate withdrawal.
The lawyers described the new rules as “divisive” and harmful to social harmony.
Addressing the gathering, several speakers fiercely criticized the regulation, arguing that instead of promoting equality, it would deepen social divisions and foster hostility among different caste groups.
They claimed that the framework of the new rules could fragment society along caste lines, ultimately disturbing unity and peace.
Leading the protest, former Joint Secretary of the High Court Bar Association, Ashutosh Tiwari, called for the immediate scrapping of the UGC regulation.
He asserted that the rules were unconstitutional and violated the fundamental principle of equal treatment guaranteed by the Constitution.
Tiwari further warned that ignoring the growing public anger over the issue would be counterproductive for the government.
According to him, resentment against the regulation is spreading rapidly across various sections of society.
The speakers unanimously cautioned that if the regulation was not withdrawn within the next forty-eight hours, the lawyers would intensify their agitation and launch a large-scale public movement.
They stated that in such a situation, the government and its entire administrative machinery would be solely responsible for any unrest that might follow.
Several prominent lawyers actively participated in the demonstration, including Shashi Dwivedi, Brijesh Singh Senger, Ashutosh Shukla, and Krishna Mohan Pandey, along with many others who expressed strong opposition to the UGC’s move.
The newly introduced UGC regulations are intended to eliminate discrimination in higher education institutions based on religion, race, gender, place of birth, caste, or disability.
The rules place special emphasis on safeguarding the rights of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs), economically weaker sections (EWS), and persons with disabilities (PwDs).
However, the regulations have faced significant criticism, particularly from students belonging to the general or unreserved categories.
Critics argue that the new framework may unfairly single them out and does not ensure equal protection for all sections of society, thereby contradicting the very idea of equity that it claims to promote.
As opposition continues to mount across different groups, the UGC’s new policy has become a focal point of nationwide debate, with protests and legal challenges emerging from multiple quarters.
#UGCRegulations2026 #PEHEIR2026 #AllahabadHighCourt #LawyersProtest #UGCRollback #HigherEducationPolicy #StudentUnrest #EquityInEducation #NationwideProtests #LegalOpposition
