Rohith Vemula Act to prevent caste-based discrimination in universities

Bengaluru: Although the Rohith Vemula Bill was discussed on various occasions in cabinet meetings, it was not introduced in the earlier legislative session.

The Bill, aimed to prevent caste-based discrimination and atrocities against students at higher educational institutions, however, is likely to come up in the legislature session beginning from Monday.

"Rohith Vemula Act will be enacted to prevent atrocities on caste lines on students across all government, private and deemed universities in the state," Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in his budget speech.

With this announcement, Karnataka becomes the first Congress-led state in the country to implement the Rohith Vemula Act. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in 2025, calling for the enactment of the law at the earliest.

Student elections back

Student elections at the universities will be back soon, with Siddaramaiah announcing their reintroduction in his budget.

"Student Union Elections will be conducted in colleges and universities to foster leadership, responsibility and democratic values among students," stated Siddaramaiah.

KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had constituted a committee of legislators to discuss and submit recommendations on student elections. Ministers for medical education and higher education were both on the panel.

The committee has held two meetings and invited public and stakeholders' opinions on the same.

Student elections were banned in the state in 1989 following some violations on university campuses during the elections. However, this was also stressed by Rahul Gandhi again.