Karnataka govt clears Rohit Vemula Bill 2026; up to Rs 10 lakh fine for caste discrimination

The Karnataka Cabinet has approved the Rohit Vemula (Prevention of Discrimination, Exclusion or Injustice) (Right to Education and Dignity) Bill, 2026. The Bill, aimed at protecting Scheduled Caste (SC), and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students from discrimination and harassment in higher educational institutions, an Indian Express report said.

The Bill, once passed, will be applicable to all public, private, and deemed universities across the state. As per the report, the legislation is expected to be tabled in the Monsoon Session of the Karnataka state later this year.

“The original form of the Bill required some tweaks. Changes were made, and the Bill is now cleared by the Cabinet,” HK Patil, Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister said in the report.

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Rohit Vemula Bill 2026: Equity Committee, compensation

Once the Rohit Vemula Bill, 2026 has been enacted, the higher educational institutions will have to constitute an “Equity Committee”, chaired by a member from the SC or ST community, to serve as the primary redressal system for complaints, the report said.

The Equity Committee, on receiving discrimination complaints, will investigate and submit a report to the college authorities, it added.

According to the provisions of the bill, accused in the discrimination matter will be fined up to Rs 10 lakh and may be denied government grants. The punishments will be decided on the basis of nature, frequency, severity, and pervasiveness of the harassment, as well as physical injury or mental trauma caused to the victim, the report said.

Notably, the Rohit Vemula Bill also has a provision to provide compensation to the victims of harassment, it stated. The bill also bans caste-based discrimination, exclusion, or injustice against SC, ST students by teachers, staff or fellow students, it added.

The Bill is named after Rohit Vemula, a dalit PhD scholar from the University of Hyderabad. He died by suicide in 2016 due to alleged caste-based discrimination on campus.