Karnataka Rohit Vemula (Prevention of Discrimination, Exclusion or Injustice) (Right to Education and Dignity) Bill, 2026get Cabinet approval in April After months of discussion and debate.
The amended Bill aims to prevent exclusion and injustice while protecting the right to education and dignity of students, teaching faculty and non-teaching staff belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST). It guarantees equal access to education in all higher educational institutions across Karnataka, including public, private, charitable institutions and deemed universities.
Brief history of the bill
am following Rohit Vemula’s deathA 26-year-old Dalit PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad, in 2016, political and civil society pressure is building for a dedicated anti-caste discrimination law in higher education.
The Karnataka government started drafting the bill almost a year ago in April 2025, after Rahul Gandhi wrote to the state urging it to introduce the Rohith Vemula Act.
The idea was to create a framework encompassing preventive and remedial measures to address the issues of students and teachers from marginalized communities who continue to face caste discrimination on campuses.
The draft bill went through several iterations. During the Karnataka Budget 2026–27, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah formally announced the government’s intention to introduce the Rohith Vemula Bill. This bill got approval from the state cabinet in April.
What is defined in the Bill?
The Bill defines both caste-based harassment and discrimination, including direct and indirect discrimination.
Caste-based harassment is defined as any hostile, derogatory or offensive behaviour, whether verbal, non-verbal, oral, written, recorded, visual or digital, that humiliates or threatens the dignity of SC/ST persons on the basis of caste.
Discrimination is any intentional or unintentional act or omission that adversely impacts people from SC/ST communities, including failure to treat them equally as others, preferential treatment towards castes considered ‘higher’ in the caste hierarchy, and other similar caste-based practices.
Who is the victim? Do the provisions apply only inside classrooms?
The aggrieved person may be a student or faculty member or employee of the SC/ST community in any higher educational institution who has allegedly faced discrimination and/or caste-based harassment.
The Bill covers not only the places of work and residence within educational institutions, but also all online and offline spaces where students, faculty and staff socialize with each other. These include hostels, health centres, sports grounds, staff quarters, parks, roads, canteens and transport facilities.
What are some important provisions of the bill?
The Bill states that institutions of higher education shall be open to all persons regardless of their sex, gender, race, caste, religion, sexuality or disability, and clearly states that no person belonging to SC/ST communities should be subjected to discrimination or caste-based harassment.
It says, “It shall not be lawful for any institution of higher education to impose on any person any test of religious belief or profession in order to entitle him to be admitted thereto as a teacher or student or to hold any office thereunder or to graduate therefrom or to enjoy or exercise any privilege prescribed.”
The Bill recognizes the right of individuals from SC/ST communities to organize collectively, form unions, promote anti-caste discussions through reading clubs, refuse to participate in programs and activities that reinforce caste prejudice, and not be subjected to punishment or negative assessment for asserting their views against caste. It also supports the right of community members to maintain privacy regarding their caste identity.
What can be called caste-based oppression?
One of the most detailed sections of the bill is the list of prohibited acts. It identifies 30 prohibited discriminatory acts on the basis of race.
These include admissions and hiring practices, such as asking questions that probe social background or family occupation in a discriminatory or disrespectful manner; Denial of admission despite meeting admission criteria; Accepting or rejecting applications on the basis of caste; And violation of reservation policies.
It also includes discrimination within educational spaces, including segregation within classrooms or educational settings; exclusion from class, laboratory, or extracurricular activities; unequal access to faculty contacts; Discriminatory assessment in examinations; And forcing students to do activities they would not normally do. The Bill also bans curriculum content that glorifies certain castes or denigrates SC/ST communities.
Institutional and administrative barriers are also addressed, such as ensuring access to opportunities that favor non-SC/ST individuals; Arbitrarily forcing students to enroll in particular courses; changing norms to their detriment; excluding them from committees or decision-making bodies; and failed to provide basic student facilities.
Financial exploitation is another category, which includes demands for payments beyond declared admission policies, forced financial contributions, withholding of documents for money and arbitrary delays in scholarship distribution.
The bill prohibits coercive practices such as forcing people to participate in religious or cultural events against a student’s beliefs, taking on uncompensated labor beyond specified duties, and steering individuals into inappropriate occupations or career paths based on race.
It addresses stigma and restriction of rights, including disclosing admission status through reservation categories, labeling students as “reserved category” or “quota students”, attributing academic poor performance to caste, barring participation in democratic or secular associations, restricting reporting of unfair practices, and limiting access to internships or work opportunities of their choice.
Not taking action on a discrimination complaint within the time prescribed under the Act and creating an intimidating or hostile environment for the aggrieved person after filing the complaint would also amount to caste-based harassment.
What is the prevention mechanism?
According to the Bill, every higher educational institution will have to constitute an Equity Committee, in which at least 80% of the members will be from the SC/ST community. The committee should consist of a Presiding Officer who is from the SC/ST community, and above the rank of Assistant Professor in the institution, two staff/faculty members, one administrative staff, one member of the NGO committed to the cause and two students from the SC/ST community, one of whom should be a woman.
The aggrieved person can submit a complaint to the presiding committee within three months from the date of the incident. If the complainant does not agree to conciliation, the Committee will have to initiate an investigation into the complaint.
If Prima facie If any case of atrocities comes to light, a complaint has to be lodged with the law enforcement agencies within seven days. The committee may recommend suspension of the accused pending investigation.
What are the remedies for the victim and punishment for the perpetrators?
Measures include Administrative intervention that will eliminate the adverse impact, reasonable adjustments, monetary compensation, counseling assistance and any other measures deemed necessary.
Students found to have engaged in discrimination or caste-based violations may face penalties, including exclusion from hostels, campus, examinations and other activities; withholding results; suspension; Or expulsion.
Faculty or staff found responsible may face adverse comments in performance evaluations, be deprived of supervisory duties, be denied employment or contract renewal, be withheld from promotion or salary increases, demotion, pay or salary reductions, suspension, or dismissal.
The severity of the penalty will be determined by factors, including the nature and severity of the harassment; the age or condition of the offender; the frequency and prevalence of the conduct; any resulting physical or mental harm; The suffering caused to the victim; and the extent of its impact on their work or academic performance.
For higher educational institutions found violating the provisions, the Bill proposes a maximum fine of Rs 10 lakh or denial of financial aid.
What you need to know about Karnataka’s Rohith Vemula Bill
The Karnataka Rohith Vemula (Prevention of Discrimination, Exclusion or Injustice) (Right to Education and Dignity) Bill, 2026 received cabinet approval in April after months of deliberations and debate. The amended Bill aims to prevent exclusion and injustice while protecting the right to education and dignity of students, teaching faculty and non-teaching staff belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST). It guarantees equal access to education in all higher educational institutions across Karnataka, including public, private, charitable institutions and deemed universities. | Video Credit: The Hindu
