UGC reminds institutions to form grievance redressal committees after law student suicide

NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a circular reminding higher education institutions (HEIs) to form Grievance Redressal Committees for students within two weeks. The circular comes after the court mandated all educational institutions offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses set up these committees to address student grievances.

“In compliance with the directions of the Hon'ble Court, educational institutions are urged to take immediate steps to constitute Students' Grievance Redressal Committee(s) as provided in the University Grants Commission (Redressal of Grievances of Students) Regulations, 2023. The Regulations are available on the UGC website, ugc.ac.in,” the official circular read.

The directive follows an order from the Delhi High Court, dated September 9, 2024, in connection with the suicide of law student Sushant Rohilla from IP University. The UGC issued the University Grants Commission (Redressal of Grievances of Students) Regulations, 2023, in the Gazette of India on April 11, 2023. The regulations require all higher education institutions to establish Grievance Redressal Committee(s) (SGRC).

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The UGC had previously notified institutions on April 12, 2023, to establish these committees within 30 days, but many have not yet complied. The UGC has now issued a final call for compliance, stressing that any further delay will lead to legal action.

As per UGC’s official circular, “Colleges are requested to furnish the details of SGRCs constituted by them to their affiliating Universities. Universities, in turn, are requested to furnish the details of the SGRCs constituted by them and by their affiliated institutions, if any, to the following Email IDs in the enclosed format by 24th September 2024.”