Caste-based discrimination: SC notice to Centre on plea of mothers of Rohith Vemula, Payal Tadvi

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea filed by mothers of Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi, who had allegedly committed suicide following alleged caste-based discrimination, seeking to end such bias in universities and other higher education institutions across the country.

While Vemula, a Ph.D scholar at Hyderabad Central University had committed suicide on January 17, 2016, following alleged caste bias, Tadvi, a tribal student at TN Topiwala National Medical College, committed suicide on May 22 this year due to alleged caste-based discrimination by three doctors in her college.

A bench of Justices N V Ramana and Ajay Rastogi issued notice on the plea and sought response from the Centre in four weeks.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for both the mothers, said there are UGC regulations but they are not being implemented.

She said there are documented incidents of suicides taking place in university campuses.

The petitioners have sought to enforce the fundamental rights, particularly the Right to Equality, Right to Prohibition of Discrimination against caste, and the Right to Life.