<p>Bengaluru: The Social Welfare Department is likely to decide on whether to frame its own law to prevent harassment of students from the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe communities in higher education institutions or hand over the existing Bill to the Higher Education Department with its inputs, in a few days. </p>.<p>According to sources, the department is currently comparing the existing Bill with the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulation 2026, which the Supreme Court has stayed. </p>.<p>While the equity regulations apply to students from the SC, ST and OBC communities, the Rohith Vemula Bill is only applicable to SC/STs.</p>.<p>Karnataka’s Rohith Vemula (Protection of SC/STs from Caste Discrimination in Higher Educational Institutions) Bill, drafted by the Campaign for Rohit Act — a collective — was initially sent to the Higher Education Department.</p>.<p>The Congress had promised to enact the Rohith Vemula Act in its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections if it came to power.</p>.<p>The draft Rohith Vemula Bill, which <span class="italic">DH</span> has accessed, has proposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on higher education institutions that fail to prevent caste-based discrimination of SC/ST students on campuses of Higher Education <br />Institutions. </p>.<p class="CrossHead"><span class="bold">Salient features</span></p>.Karnataka CM writes to Rahul Gandhi on preparing draft of Rohith Vemula Act.<p>As per section 4 of the Bill drafted by the Campaign for Rohit Act, harassment of students from SC/ST communities includes implied or explicit threat of physical, mental or economic harm and making derogatory or insinuating remarks that attribute an SC/ST individual’s academic or professional underperformance to their caste, interference with the aggrieved person’s work, non-action on a complaint of discrimination within the stipulated time, creating an intimidating atmosphere for the aggrieved person after he/she files a complaint, will be considered as caste-based discrimination.</p>.<p>Those violating these provisions will be liable to one or more of the following: written warning, written apology, bond of good behaviour, community service and attending caste-sensitisation workshops.</p>.<p>The students who contravene these provisions can be debarred from entering hostels, writing exams, suspended for a specific period of time and even expelled from the institution. </p>.<p>Faculty contravening these provisions can be liable to adverse remarks in the appraisal, denied reemployment/ contract renewal, demoted, suspended during inquiry and even dismissed (one or more of these provisions).</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The Social Welfare Department is likely to decide on whether to frame its own law to prevent harassment of students from the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe communities in higher education institutions or hand over the existing Bill to the Higher Education Department with its inputs, in a few days. </p>.<p>According to sources, the department is currently comparing the existing Bill with the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulation 2026, which the Supreme Court has stayed. </p>.<p>While the equity regulations apply to students from the SC, ST and OBC communities, the Rohith Vemula Bill is only applicable to SC/STs.</p>.<p>Karnataka’s Rohith Vemula (Protection of SC/STs from Caste Discrimination in Higher Educational Institutions) Bill, drafted by the Campaign for Rohit Act — a collective — was initially sent to the Higher Education Department.</p>.<p>The Congress had promised to enact the Rohith Vemula Act in its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections if it came to power.</p>.<p>The draft Rohith Vemula Bill, which <span class="italic">DH</span> has accessed, has proposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on higher education institutions that fail to prevent caste-based discrimination of SC/ST students on campuses of Higher Education <br />Institutions. </p>.<p class="CrossHead"><span class="bold">Salient features</span></p>.Karnataka CM writes to Rahul Gandhi on preparing draft of Rohith Vemula Act.<p>As per section 4 of the Bill drafted by the Campaign for Rohit Act, harassment of students from SC/ST communities includes implied or explicit threat of physical, mental or economic harm and making derogatory or insinuating remarks that attribute an SC/ST individual’s academic or professional underperformance to their caste, interference with the aggrieved person’s work, non-action on a complaint of discrimination within the stipulated time, creating an intimidating atmosphere for the aggrieved person after he/she files a complaint, will be considered as caste-based discrimination.</p>.<p>Those violating these provisions will be liable to one or more of the following: written warning, written apology, bond of good behaviour, community service and attending caste-sensitisation workshops.</p>.<p>The students who contravene these provisions can be debarred from entering hostels, writing exams, suspended for a specific period of time and even expelled from the institution. </p>.<p>Faculty contravening these provisions can be liable to adverse remarks in the appraisal, denied reemployment/ contract renewal, demoted, suspended during inquiry and even dismissed (one or more of these provisions).</p>