Karnataka government prepares draft of Rohith Vemula Bill
The Karnataka government has prepared the draft of the Rohith Vemula Bill, which aims at preventing discrimination against students belonging to Scheduled castes (SC), Scheduled tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and minority communities in higher educational institutions, in a development that comes days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's letter in the matter to chief minister Siddaramaiah.
The draft bill — titled Karnataka Rohith Vemula (Prevention of Exclusion or Injustice), (Right to Education and Dignity) Bill, 2025 — proposes up to one-year jail term and ₹10,000 fine for those discriminating against SC, ST, OBC and minority students. The government will also hold accountable the head of the higher education institution where discrimination is reported, according to the proposed bill, seen by HT.
'This Bill seeks to prevent exclusion, discrimination, or injustice against students belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes (OBC) and minorities in institutions of higher learning under the purview of the department of higher education,' the proposed bill's objective states.
State's law and parliamentary affairs minister HK Patil told HT that he has sent the proposed legislation to the CM, adding the government could either table it in the next session of the legislature or bring an ordinance.
'The primary objective of the proposed legislation is to ensure that all students, regardless of caste, class, creed, gender, or nationality, are provided equal access to higher education, as well as to safeguard their dignity and right to fair treatment on campus,' Patil said.
Sharing details about the proposed bill, Patil said it envisages prohibition of discrimination in admissions or within the campus environment; provision for lodging complaints in case of violation; punitive measures for individuals and institutions found guilty of discriminatory practices and withdrawal of government's financial aid to institutions violating the law.
Once implemented by the department of higher education, the law will be applicable across all 34 government universities, 16 deemed universities and 10 private universities in the state.
'With the government's steadfast commitment to social justice and equality, this will be a landmark bill. The drafting of the bill was undertaken with utmost care and deliberation, in consultation with esteemed legal luminaries and experts, to ensure that the proposed legislation stands on strong constitutional footing while upholding the principles of fairness, inclusivity, and dignity for the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes, and minorities,' Patil said.
'This collective and thoughtful approach reflects the government's resolve to create an educational ecosystem where every individual is empowered to pursue knowledge without barriers or discrimination,' he further said.
The development comes less than a week after former Congress president wrote to Siddaramaiah, urging the party-led state government to enact a law named Rohith Vemula Act for ensuring that no one faces caste-based discrimination in the education system.
'It is a shame that even today millions of students from Dalit, Adivasi and OBC communities have to face such brutal discrimination in our educational system,' Gandhi wrote in his letter dated April 16 to Siddaramaiah.
Vemula, a PhD scholar in University of Hyderabad, died by suicide allegedly due to caste-based discrimination in 2016.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also shared the letter, in which he highlighted the discrimination BR Ambedkar faced in his lifetime, on X on April 18.
Responding to Gandhi's post, Siddaramaiah wrote on X: 'Our Government stands firm in its resolve to enact the Rohith Vemula Act in Karnataka — to ensure no student faces discrimination based on caste, class, or religion. We will bring this legislation at the earliest to honour the dreams of Rohith, Payal, Darshan, and countless others who deserved dignity, not exclusion.'
Patil said the bill was being worked out by the parliamentary affairs and legislation department. 'We fast forwarded the exercise after Rahul Gandhi's letter,' he said.
The former Congress president has also urged party-ruled Telangana and Himachal Pradesh to come up with the Rohith Vemula Act to end caste discrimination in education system.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
Goa Congress Alleges Rs 7,200 Crore Annual Loss From Illegal Liquor Smuggling
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee has blamed the state government for permitting open smuggling of liquor, which is causing an estimated loss of Rs 7,200 crore per annum. State Congress president Amit Patkar alleged that at least ten trucks carrying liquor worth Rs 2 crore each cross the Patradevi border every day to reach states such as Gujarat, where alcohol is banned. Patkar pointed out a recent case in which a truck carrying liquor caught fire at Dhargalim, questioning why authorities did not act. "The truck is registered with the transport department, but the police and excise people say they can't identify its owner. How is this possible?" he asked, condemning the excise department for not having mechanisms to trace or intercept illegally made and packaged liquor exiting Goa. Blaming the state government's reaction, Patkar said 36 hours after the Dhargalim incident, both the excise department and the police had done nothing, and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was quiet. "This is a national threat," he said, asking Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to explain the source and destination of the smuggled liquor by Thursday. Patkar threatened that unless answers were provided, Congress would protest outside the office of the Excise Commissioner. The charges have raised questions about sloppy enforcement and possible complicity, with Congress urging immediate action to stem the illegal trade.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Godavari-Banakacherla row: Revanth Reddy hints at moving SC; Centre may call Apex Council meet soon with him & Chandrababu Naidu
HYDERABAD: With tensions escalating between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over the proposed Godavari-Banakacherla link project, the Centre is likely to convene an Apex Council meeting soon, bringing both chief ministers to the table to resolve the contentious water sharing dispute. The Apex Council-last convened in Oct 2020-is headed by Union jal shakti minister CR Patil. CM A Revanth Reddy and irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who met Patil in Delhi on Thursday, said the Union minister had assured them that the meeting would be held soon. During the hour-long meeting, Revanth made it clear that Telangana would not compromise on its water interests under any circumstances. He conveyed to the minister that while the state was open to resolving disputes through dialogue, it would approach the Supreme Court if the Centre's actions were not in Telangana's favour. Revanth proposed an alternative plan, stating that if AP truly believed surplus water was available in the Godavari, the Centre could consider linking the Icchampally-Nagarjuna Sagar route to lift water to the Penna basin, instead of Polavaram-Banakacherla. This, he said, could be centrally funded. The CM also urged the Centre to expedite the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II verdict. The CM urged Patil to intervene and halt all works initiated by the AP govt on the Banakacherla project, and to reject the pre-feasibility report submitted by AP on the link project. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Scam Exposed: What They Won't Tell You about zero trust! Expertinspector Click Here Undo Revanth and Uttam argued that the Banakacherla project violates the interests of Telangana, as well as the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (1980) and the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. They expressed concern over how the Union finance ministry and environment ministry appeared to be fast-tracking approvals for AP's projects while neglecting Telangana's. Revanth said AP's claim of basing the Banakacherla project on Godavari floodwaters had no legal or technical standing. "There is no mention of floodwaters or surplus waters in the GWDT-1980," he said, arguing that the entire project lacks regulatory grounding. Revanth reminded the Union minister that as per the Reorganisation Act, new inter-state projects must first be cleared by the Godavari River Management Board, Central Water Commission, and the Apex Council. "The AP govt violated mandatory procedures and is going ahead with project. Their claim that project is based on floodwaters is not only misleading but has no statutory support," he said. Uttam said Patil responded positively and confirmed that his ministry had not received any detailed project report related to Banakacherla from AP so far.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
June 20, 1985, Forty Years Ago: $4 bn aid for India
The Aid-India consortium pledged total assistance of four billion dollars to India during the fiscal year 1985-86, which represents an increase of over five per cent in real terms. India will get 3.9 billion dollars in terms of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) as against 3.7 billion dollars last year. This is an increase of 200 million dollars or 5.5 per cent in real terms. In pledging four billion dollars, the World-Bank led consortium has maintained its assistance to India at approximately last year's level. Pak criticises India India expressed 'regret' at the statement of Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zain Noorani, about the human rights of Indian Muslims. An official spokesperson said, 'we regret that the minister should have spoken in such terms about India's internal affairs.' Noorani had made the statement while referring to the anti-reservation agitation in Gujarat. He alleged that the state government has instigated a communal riot to divert attention from the agitation. Cong chief killed The city Congress (I) president, Neta Hakimuddin, was shot dead by unidentified assailants on the Prahlad Nagar road in Meerut. The DIG, police, Nathu Lal told PTI that the Congress (I) leader, who was riding on a rickshaw, was shot from point-blank range by some persons. The bullets hit him on the temple and he died on the spot, he said. The assailants managed to escape.
