Overview
- Invoking Article 142, the Court kept the 2026 regulations in abeyance and directed institutions to operate under the advisory 2012 rules until further orders.
- A central fault line is Regulation 3(1)(c), which confines the special caste‑discrimination machinery to SC, ST and OBC complainants, a gatekeeping choice petitioners say is exclusionary.
- The stayed framework would have mandated Equal Opportunity Centres, Equity Committees, 24‑hour helplines, strict timelines and sanctions for non‑compliance.
- Political and campus reactions split: several Opposition leaders applauded the stay as a check on arbitrary rules, while BJP figures stressed “justice for all” and a Union minister welcomed the order.
- Protests have continued both for and against the rules, with calls for a February 1 Bharat bandh reported and academic critiques highlighting gaps such as the omission of EWS from actionable protections.