The Karnataka government will soon introduce its proposed law aimed at preventing caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Friday while presenting the state budget.
The proposed legislation, which will be called the Rohith Vemula Act, will apply to public, private and deemed universities across the state.
However, the government has not yet announced details on how the law will be implemented.
“The Rohith Vemula Act will be enacted to prevent caste-based atrocities against students in all government, private and university universities in the state,” Siddaramaiah said during his budget speech.
The announcement comes at a time when regulations aimed at tackling discrimination in higher education have stalled at the national level.
The University Grants Commission’s revised Equity Regulations – designed to address discrimination on the basis of caste, gender and disability in universities – were recently suspended by the Union government after India’s Supreme Court said the rules were “vague and open to abuse”.
The proposed law is named after Rohith Vemula, a doctoral researcher at the University of Hyderabad who died by suicide on January 17, 2016.
During the Cabinet meeting on February 26, ministers approved the draft law but decided to seek additional input.
State Home Minister G Parameshwara recommended that the draft be sent to the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement for suggestions.
In a separate announcement during his budget speech, Siddaramaiah said the government would reconduct student union elections in colleges and universities across the state.
“Student union elections will be held in colleges and universities to promote leadership, responsibility and democratic values among students,” he said.
It is still unclear whether this requirement will extend to private colleges.
The Congress government began exploring the idea of reviving student elections last year, and in December 2025, it formed a committee of experts to study the feasibility of introducing it.
Before forming the committee, Congress leader and member of the state legislative council, Salim Ahmed, indicated that the government planned to start the process in state-run institutions before expanding it further.
