The Karnataka Rohith Vemula (Prevention of Discrimination, Exclusion or Injustice) (Right to Education and Dignity) Bill, 2026, which had been widely debated but stuck in red tape for long, was cleared by the Cabinet on Thursday.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil, brienfing the press after the Cabinet meeting, said that the Bill -- which aims to safeguard the right to education and dignity of the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, teaching faculty and non-teaching staff in institutions of higher learning -- will be moved during the next legislature session.
“We will not take the Ordinance route for this. There are some modifications from the original draft bill,” he said, adding that the penal provisions of the Bill may undergo some modifications. It applies to public, private, charitable and deemed universities in Karnataka.
As per the provisions of the draft bill, for any violation of the law, the person in charge of the affairs of the institution is liable to imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹10 lakh.
The Bill lists out about 30 ways in which atrocities may be committed against an SC/ST student in a higher education institution, ranging from denial of admission, denial of amenities, bringing financial pressure, using casteist slurs, etc. It also details the mechanism of enquiry and appeal that an institution needs to adapt.
