On Wednesday, Chief Justice Surya Kant delivered a rare and forceful rebuke from the Supreme Court bench during hearings in a disputed medical-admission matter, angrily addressing not only the merits of the petition but alleged attempts to interfere with the judiciary’s dignity. The bench voiced deep suspicion over sudden claims of minority status by applicants seeking postgraduate medical seats and signalled it would not tolerate external pressure on judicial decision-making.
During the hearing, the chief justice said someone had phoned his brother to question an order the court had passed, and that the caller had asked why contempt proceedings would not be launched against him. “Someone phoned my brother and asked how I gave this judgment? He asked why contempt proceedings would not be started against him,” the chief justice told the courtroom, prompting a visibly charged atmosphere.
Addressing the Haryana government’s counsel, Chief Justice Surya Kant admonished that no one should instruct the court on how to decide a case. “Will you tell me how to give judgment? Look at the matter. As a lawyer, your primary duty should be to distance yourself from such conduct,” he said, underlining the expectation of professional restraint from legal representatives.
The chief justice made clear he would not tolerate any interference with judicial independence, adding that even if an individual were hiding abroad, he knew how to deal with such people and that he had faced similar situations over the past 23 years. The remarks were widely read in court as a firm warning against attempts to influence or intimidate the judiciary.
The case before the court involves two applicants, Nikhil Kumar Puniya and Ekta Puniya, who sought admission to a postgraduate medical programme claiming entitlement under a Buddhist minority quota. The petition filed in the Supreme Court challenges the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to suspend their admissions after authorities raised questions about the validity of their minority claim.
The college involved, Subharti Medical College, is described in the petition as a minority institution recognised by the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions as a Buddhist minority establishment. The bench characterised the overall episode as highly suspicious, questioning how a family from a traditionally general-category background could suddenly obtain minority certificates after repeatedly applying in the general category.
Calling the development “a new kind of deception,” the chief justice warned the parties not to compel the court to say more. Associate Justice Bagchi echoed the bench’s scepticism, asking rhetorically whether the applicants had suddenly embraced Buddhism just before the examination, thereby indicating the court’s deep doubts about the timing and genuineness of the claimed conversions.
Original Source: https://assam.nenow.in/cji-warns-of-contempt-after-petitioners-family-member-calls-his-brother-over-sc-order/
Category: অসম,উত্তৰ-পূব,দেশ,শিক্ষা,শীর্ষ সংবাদ
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Publish Date: 2026-03-25 20:51:00
