The Karnataka Rohith Vemula (Prevention of Discrimination, Exclusion or Injustice) (Right to Education and Dignity) Bill, 2026, which aims to safeguard the right to education and dignity of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) students in universities and higher educational institutions, has been pending for two years. Members of the Campaign for Rohith Act and Dalit organisations have urged the State government to pass the Bill at least during the ongoing Monsoon Session.

Although the State Cabinet approved the Bill on April 16, 2026, it is still pending with the Social Welfare Department, which had mooted it, and there has been no develpment since then.

Groups warn protests

“The inordinate delay in Karnataka has deepened uncertainty and distress among SC/ST students and their organisations, who continue to experience everyday discrimination and harassment within educational institutions. This distress could very easily precipitate into anger and force the students to demonstrate on the streets,” members of the campaign said in a statement.

A longstanding demand

The law was envisaged in the context of the death by suicide of Dalit PhD scholar Rohith Vemula due to alleged institutional caste discrimination at the Hyderabad Central University. His death, which triggered a nationwide uprising, was termed an “institutional murder” and led to the demand for a special law to protect SC/ST students from caste discrimination in higher education institutions. The SC/ST cell of the Telangana Congress and the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) had prepared separate drafts of the Rohith Act.

After remaining on the back burner for nearly a decade, the issue gained renewed attention when Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge publicly endorsed the need for a Rohith Act. In April 2024, Mr. Gandhi wrote to the governments of Karnataka and Telangana, urging them to draft the Rohith Act.

The Karnataka chapter of the Campaign for Rohith Act, formed in July 2024, prepared a preliminary draft of the law in December 2025 following extensive consultations with SC/ST student groups, legal experts and anti-caste activists. The team subsequently held several rounds of discussions with Ministers and officials and refined the draft.

However, the Rohith Bill was not tabled during the Winter Session in December 2025 or the Budget Session in March 2026. The State Cabinet approved the Bill on April 16, 2026.

“The Rohith Act is envisaged as a civil interpretation of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, narrowly and purposefully focused on the distinct forms of discrimination and harassment faced by Dalit and Adivasi students, faculty and non-teaching staff in higher educational institutions. Unlike the UGC Equity Regulations, which extend protection to multiple categories without corresponding legislative or constitutional grounding, the Rohith Act rests on a robust foundation of existing law and judicial precedent specific to SC/ST communities,” said Hulikunte Murthy, a member of the Campaign for Rohith Act.

“While we appreciate the leadership shown by senior Congress leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, Priyank Kharge and Siddaramaiah, we are disappointed that there has been no further movement towards the public release of the draft Bill or any assurance of its enactment during the ongoing Monsoon Session,” said Mavalli Shankar, convener of the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti, urging Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to ensure passage of the Bill in the ongoing session.

Published - August 17, 2026 08:44 pm IST