An insincere attempt at hollow reforms

The Karnataka government’s move to enact the Karnataka Rohith Vemula (Prevention of Exclusion or Injustice) (Right to Education and Dignity) Act, 2025, is a welcome step forward, responding to long-standing demands for such legislation nationwide—including the recent campaign by Karnataka’s own civil society. However, the reported draft of the proposed law fails to address the complex and layered realities of caste-based discrimination and harassment in higher education.