<p>The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) calls for far-reaching digital transformation of Indian higher education, but the structural digital inequality looming in the background may perpetuate and exacerbate existing socioeconomic inequalities without eradicating them. The study adopts a convergent mixed-methods research design, with the aim of investigating the role of dimensions of the digital divide (in terms of access to technology, socioeconomic positioning and digital literacy) as a mediator between the outcomes of technology-based learning and the higher education students and faculty members in India. Primary data were collected from 400 respondents (five institution types) using a validated structured questionnaire with 36-item questions, and 42 key informant interviews were conducted and analysed with NVivo-assisted framework analysis. The results from the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) showed that digital infrastructure, digital literacy, and socioeconomic status each positively and statistically significantly influence technology-driven learning. An inter-institutional gap was found to be significant: The mean Digital Divide Index scores of rural government colleges were 2.81 while central and deemed universities scored 4.73. One-way ANOVA confirmed these group differences as highly significant [F (4, 395) = 38.72, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001, &eta;&sup2; = 0.28]. The variance in the technology-driven learning outcomes was explained by 61% (Adjusted R&sup2; = 0.59) by multiple regression. However, the latest analysis from the last five years (2019-2024) shows that the overall score of all the institution types has improved after the implementation of the NEP-2020, but the difference in scores between well&ndash;resourced and under-resourced institutions has increased. Themes of infrastructure barriers (30%), pedagogical adaptation issues (24%) and equity and inclusion issues (22%) were emphasised in the qualitative themes. The results point to the need for targeted investment in digital infrastructure in rural areas, differential faculty development, and policy design with an eye to equity, as necessary preconditions for the inclusive digital vision of NEP 2020.</p>