Anand Teltumbde on the backlash against the UGC Regulations 2026

In this episode of Conversations with The Leaflet, Sushovan Patnaik, Associate Editor, The Leaflet, is in conversation with Anand Teltumbde, a noted human rights activist and anti-caste scholar.

The discussion critically analyses the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, notified earlier this year to curb caste discrimination on university and college campuses, and the Supreme Court's decision to impose an interim stay on the Regulations on January 29, 2026. The discussion analyses the petitioners' apprehension of misuse, and the Court's assessment of the definition of 'caste-based discrimination' in the 2026 Regulations. 

Anand Teltumbde, a political observer of reservation politics for decades, also shares his thoughts on the politics behind the emergent pushback and protests against the 2026 Regulations by several upper-caste groups.

An essential watch for lawyers, students, scholars and all those interested in the concept of discrimination, and law and caste.