The Telangana government on Friday, April 17, constituted a Cabinet sub-committee to study and make recommendations for drafting provisions for the Rohith Vemula Telangana (Prevention of Identity Based Discrimination in Higher Education) Bill, 2026.
Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka has been appointed as the chairman of the committee. The members of the committee include Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy, Damodar Rajanarsimha, D Sridhar Babu, and Ponnam Prabhakar.
As per the GO issued by the government, the Special Chief Secretary of the Scheduled Caste Development Department will be the convenor of the sub-committee. The GO said that the sub-committee should submit its recommendations at the earliest.
The constitution of the sub-committee happened in the backdrop of the Congress government in Karnataka approving the draft of the Rohith Vemula Bill (Prevention of Discrimination, Exclusion or Injustice). The Bill has proposed strict penalties including a Rs 10 lakh fine against those found guilty of harassment or caste-based discrimination.
The Bill seeks to ensure equal access to education and prohibit discrimination against SC/ST students across public, private, and deemed universities in Karnataka.
A key provision mandates the establishment of an equity committee in every institution to handle complaints of caste discrimination and harassment. These committees will be chaired by an SC/ST member not below the rank of assistant professor and include six other members, with at least two student representatives from SC/ST communities. Notably, at least 80% of the panel must belong to SC/ST groups.