Cabinet sub-committee directs officials to prepare Rohith Vemula comprehensive bill

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka directed officials to speed up the process of drafting the Rohith Vemula Telangana (Prevention of Identity Based Discrimination in Higher Education) Bill, 2026 and prepare a comprehensive preliminary report outlining the procedures and provisions of the proposed legislation.

Mr Vikramarka, who chaired the first meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee formed to formulate the bill at the State Secretariat, said the government was committed to eliminating identity-based discrimination in higher education institutions and ensuring a peaceful and inclusive environment for students.

Recalling the death of Rohith Vemula at Hyderabad University, he said that the incident shook not only Telangana but the entire country. He said the proposed legislation is aimed at fulfilling the government’s commitment to create a discrimination-free education system in universities.

Mr. Vikramarka said that every individual lives with self-respect and that no one suffers discrimination.

He directed the concerned departments to form a committee of officials to speed up the drafting process and suggested studying similar initiatives in Karnataka to adopt best practices. The legislation, he said, would be drafted through a democratic process involving extensive public consultation across the state.

The Deputy Chief Minister invited suggestions from political parties, public organizations and student groups and said the final draft would include feedback from various stakeholders. After considering all views, a cabinet sub-committee would finalize the draft before presenting the bill to the state legislature, he added.

To ensure that the proposed law stands up to legal scrutiny, the government has invited Supreme Court advocate and social activist Disha Wadekar as a special guest for consultations. Mr. Vikramarka said her legal expertise and academic background, including an LL.M from Columbia Law School, will help make the legislation comprehensive and legally robust.

Cabinet sub-committee members Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Nalamada Uttam Kumar Reddy and Ponnam Prabhakar attended the meeting.

Published – 17 Jul 2026 0:18 IST