Karnataka’s Congress government, riding on Rahul Gandhi’s letter and its 2023 election manifesto, is preparing to table the so-called Rohith Vemula (Prevention of Exclusion or Injustice) (Right to Education and Dignity) Bill, 2025, in the upcoming Monsoon Session. This grand-sounding name lurks a rebranded version of the old Communal Violence Bill, with even more draconian twists, critics warn.
As per media reports, under the noble-sounding guise of “protecting” students from discrimination, the draft Bill arms anyone belonging to SC, ST, OBC, or Minority communities in every government, private or deemed university across Karnataka with unchecked power to drag anyone — professors, students, staff into a legal nightmare based solely on an allegation.
What makes this so dangerous: A mere accusation of “exclusion” or “injustice” can open a non-bailable, cognisable case against the accused. The police don’t even need evidence to arrest you. Overnight, an ordinary student, especially from the General Category, could find themselves branded a criminal, forced to pay up to ₹1 lakh as compensation, even before a court has ruled them guilty.
And that’s just the beginning. If found guilty, a minimum of one year in prison and a fine. Repeat “offenders” can be locked away for up to three years and slapped with additional penalties. And it doesn’t stop at the person accused — anyone who allegedly “aided” the offence, or simply didn’t “prevent” it, is also fair game for arrest and jail time.
In effect, the Bill institutionalises reverse victimisation — persecution masquerading as social justice. On campuses already fractured by identity politics, this law threatens to turn every classroom into a potential courtroom. Disagreements, academic debates or interpersonal disputes can be weaponised as “discrimination” — with ruinous consequences for the accused.
A free pass to misuse
Under the Rohith Vemula Bill, the General Category students may be called as default culprits. Any disgruntled peer, any clash over hostel rooms, marks or campus politics can be turned into a legal vendetta. The fear alone will be enough to silence voices, curb open discussion and kill merit-based competition.
What about evidence? Due process? Innocent until proven guilty? This Bill flips that on its head. The moment an allegation is made, the burden shifts to the accused to prove their innocence while paying compensation out of pocket, even if the case is later found to be false.
And what punishment does the Bill prescribe for false accusations? None worth mentioning. The person who files a fabricated complaint risks nothing. The target, meanwhile, faces financial ruin, social ostracisation and jail time even if acquitted years later.
A matter of survival
Many people ask, “What about SC/ST Atrocities Act?” Well, The Rohith Vemula Bill may override the existing and this can be an easy tool to sow fear, reward vote banks, and push ideological policing in universities.
Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to exploit the tragic death of Rohith Vemula for political gain is cynical at best and sinister at worst. Instead of honest measures to fix caste injustice, the Bill institutionalises a permanent state of collective guilt, with entire communities presumed criminal by default.
A chilling precedent
Once passed in Karnataka, this “model law” could spread to other Congress-ruled states. Universities — meant to be places of inquiry and dissent — will be trapped in a minefield of accusations and counter-accusations. Teachers will hesitate to fail underperforming students or discipline them, fearing that an allegation could land them behind bars. Students will be divided not by merit, but by caste identities, armed with legal ammunition.
Nobody denies that discrimination exists — it must be fought and eliminated. But laws that abandon due process and weaponise identity do not create justice; they breed paranoia, vendetta and fresh injustice.
If the Rohith Vemula Bill is passed with such provisions, the biggest casualty will be university students thus weakening India’s campuses, where trust, dialogue and merit will be replaced by fear, suspicion and institutionalised blackmail.
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