‘New fraud’: SC questions minority claim by upper-caste candidates after converting to Buddhism

The Supreme Court on Wednesday raised concerns about the claims made by two candidates from upper-caste backgrounds seeking admission under the religious minority quota after converting to Buddhism, Live Law reported.

The court verbally observed that it was a “new type of fraud”, Bar and Bench reported.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a writ petition filed by the candidates from Haryana seeking admission to postgraduate medical courses under the Buddhist minority quota at Subharti Medical College in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, Live Law reported.

The petitioners claimed that they had converted to Buddhism and had presented minority certificates issued by a sub divisional officer.

The college was granted minority status by the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions in 2018.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the court noted that the petitioners belonged to the Punia caste.

When told they were from the Jat Punia community, which is in the general category, Kant questioned the candidates’ claim to minority status.

The petitioners’ counsel submitted that they had converted to Buddhism and that conversion was a right.

Kant was quoted as having then remarked: “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,” Live Law quoted Kant as saying. “You should be...

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