Demands Equal Timelines for Marginalized Scholars
NEW DELHI — Practicing advocate and Social activist Vinod Hindustani has successfully exposed major administrative flaws causing delays in the National Fellowship for Scheduled Castes (NFSC), warning of severe legal escalation if the system is not permanently fixed. Through his targeted legal efforts, official government agencies have formally admitted they lack a fixed schedule to release these crucial research funds.
The crisis stems from the December 2025 cycle of the UGC-NET examinations. While the general Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) results were released promptly, the NFSC list—meant to financially support marginalized SC students—was inexplicably stalled.
To uncover the cause of this disparity, Advocate Hindustani filed a Right to Information (RTI) request with the National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC). On July 24, 2026, the NSFDC responded, explaining that they were entirely dependent on the National Testing Agency (NTA) to send the list of selected students. Crucially, the NSFDC admitted there is no Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) or agreed-upon timeline between the NTA, the UGC, and the Ministry of Social Justice to release the SC fellowship list simultaneously with the general JRF list.
unresolved.
Using this official RTI admission, Advocate Hindustani elevated the matter to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on September 1, 2026, arguing that withholding this data is legally discriminatory.
In response to the NCSC's intervention, the NSFDC submitted a formal defense on October 1, 2026, detailing a lengthy 10-step administrative process. The agency explicitly stated it has no independent authority to publish the results because it relies entirely on the NTA for candidate data and the Ministry for final approval. Because of this structural dependency, the NSFDC declared it cannot promise a fixed timeline for scholars. However, following the mounting legal pressure, the delayed December 2025 list was finally published on September 1, 2026—the exact day Mr. Hindustani filed his NCSC petition.
On October 7, 2026, the NCSC forwarded these official findings to Advocate Hindustani, granting him a 30-day window to file a formal reply if his concerns regarding the systemic timeline gaps remain.
Addressing the media following the NCSC's communication, Advocate Hindustani made his future legal strategy clear. He stated that he will firmly fight and appeal in the civil courts if the systemic timeline issue is not permanently solved. He explicitly demanded the free and uninterrupted release of the NFSC in a timely manner alongside the general JRF list from now on, asserting his unwavering commitment to upholding the constitutional rights of marginalised students across the country.
