'Fraud' : Supreme Court On General Candidates' Seeking Medical Admission As Buddhist Converts, Asks How Minority Certificates Given

The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday expressed serious doubts over the conversion of two upper-caste candidates to Buddhism, observing that the move appeared to be an attempt to secure admission under the minority quota for postgraduate medical courses.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a writ petition filed by two persons from Haryana seeking directions to admit them in medical Post Graudate course under the Buddhist minority quota in the Subharti Medical College, in Uttar Pradesh, which is declared to be a Buddhist minority educational institution.

The petitioners claimed that they had converted to Buddhism, and produced certificates issued by a Sub Divisional Officer stating that they belonged to Buddhist minority community.

CJI Surya Kant, noting that the petitioners belonged to 'Punia' caste, asked, "Punias can be in the Scheduled Caste category, Punia can be Jat also which is general category. Which Punia you are?"

"We are Jat," replied the counsel.  "Then how you become [minority]?," CJI asked.

"We have converted to Buddhism. Anybody can convert to Buddhism," replied the counsel.

Expressing disbelief, CJI said,  "This is another way of fraud...you want to snatch the rights of some genuine bona fide minority....you are one of the richest, best located, upper caste communities...holding agricultural lands and having facilities...you should be proud of your merit....instead of taking the rights of who are actually deprived..."

The counsel asserted, "We have genuinely adopted Buddhism..."

"Then everybody will start...upper castes will start adopting....Don't compel us to make further comments...," CJI warned.

The bench noted that the candidates had applied for NEET-PG as general category candidates and have stated that they do not belong to the Economically Weaker Sections.  Then, how can they be issued minority certificates, the bench asked, saying that the matter required deeper probe.

"We have ascertained form the counsel that the candidates are actually born as general category candidates. It appears that the issuance of certificates by SDO requires a deeper probe by the higher authorities, especially in light of the fact that in NEET-PG 2025, candidates appeared as general category candidates, and they further categorically mentioned that they do not belong to the Economically Weaker Sections of society. Then how do they become candidates belonging to the minority community?" the bench observed in the order.

The bench asked the Chief Secretary of the State of Haryana to inform :

(i) What are the guidelines for issuing a minority certificate?

(ii) Is it permissible that an upper-class candidate who is above EWS and who, in the 2025 exam disclosed identity as general category, can be permitted to become Buddhist minority community? If not, what was the basis for SDO to issue the subject certificate?

The Court asked the State to submit a report within two weeks. The Court also dismissed the application of the petitioners seeking admission as minority candidates.

The petition, filed by Nikhil Kumar Punia and Ekta, sought directions to allot 50% seats in Subharti Medical College in Meerut to Buddhsit minority community in terms of the interim order passed by the Supreme Court on October 20, 2022 in SLP (c) No. 17003/2022. It was stated that the said college was given minority status by the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions in 2018.

The petitioners further sought directions to allot seats to them for NEET-PG courses as Buddisht minority candidates.

Case :  NIKHIL KUMAR PUNIA AND ANR v.UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS | W.P.(C) No. 21/2026