UGC Withdraws 'De-Reservation' Draft Guidelines From Website Amid Backlash

UGC on Tuesday removed from its website, the draft guidelines suggesting "de-reservation" of reserved posts if enough candidates from the SC, ST and OBC categories are not available.

UGC removes ‘de-reservation’ draft guidelines from website.

Source : UGC

New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) removed draft guidelines from its website on Tuesday, which proposed "de-reservation" of reserved posts if there weren't enough candidates from the SC, ST, and OBC categories. The move comes amid controversy. However, the commission's chairman, M. Jagadesh Kumar, clarified that "the guidelines have been removed from the website as the deadline for stakeholders to submit their feedback is over."

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan clarified that not a single post will be de-reserved and there is no scope for ambiguity about reservations after the introduction of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Act, 2019. 

University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar said that there had been no de-reservation of reserved category positions in Central Educational Institutions (CEI) in the past and there would be no such action in the future.

The draft guidelines faced criticism from various quarters with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accusing the BJP of jeopardizing youth employment opportunities.

The JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) protested against the UGC chairman on Monday over the issue.

The Congress intensified its attack, calling for the dismissal of UGC Chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar over the draft guidelines, with party leader Rahul Gandhi alleging a "conspiracy" to abolish reservations for SC, ST, and OBC categories.

However, Pradhan countered Gandhi's assertions, accusing him of basing his politics entirely on falsehoods. The minister cited statistics, indicating that out of 6,080 appointments, Scheduled Castes (SC) accounted for 14.3%, Scheduled Tribes (ST) for 7%, and Other Backward Classes (OBC) for 23.42%.

Pradhan highlighted that the data demonstrated the Modi government's significant appointments to reserved posts in central universities.