Today, the Supreme Court took strong exception to the conduct of a litigant whose father allegedly called the brother of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and questioned an order passed by the Court.

During the hearing of a medical admission case, the CJI expressed serious concern over the incident and warned that such behaviour could attract criminal contempt proceedings. He asked the Haryana government’s counsel to verify the facts and made it clear that such attempts to influence or question judicial orders outside the courtroom would not be tolerated.

The case related to admissions under the Buddhist minority quota at Subharti Medical College in Meerut, an institution recognised by the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions.

The plea was filed by siblings Nikhil Kumar Punia and Ekta Punia, who claimed minority status after converting to Buddhism, despite earlier applying as General category candidates. Their admissions were put on hold following a notification issued by the Uttar Pradesh government.

Taking a strict view, the Court termed the case a “new kind of fraud” and flagged possible misuse of the system. It questioned how candidates from a General category background could later obtain minority certificates after multiple earlier attempts as non-minority applicants.

Dismissing the plea, the Court said such actions could undermine the rights of genuine minorities and stressed that candidates from well-off communities should rely on merit.

The bench also raised concerns over the timing of the conversion and the process through which such certificates were issued. It directed the Haryana Chief Secretary to place on record the guidelines for granting minority certificates and questioned whether candidates who earlier identified as “General” could later claim minority status for admission purposes.