In a sharp rebuke over alleged misuse of minority status, the Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed alarm at what it described as a “new type of fraud,” where individuals from dominant upper-caste backgrounds are converting to Buddhism in order to claim reservation benefits meant for religious minorities.
A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a petition filed by Nikhil Kumar Punia, a resident of Hisar, Haryana, who sought admission under the minority category based on his claimed conversion to Buddhism.
During the hearing, the CJI questioned the petitioner’s claim, pointing out his background.
“You are a Punia? What minority are you? Let me ask this bluntly now. Which Punia are you?” asked the Chief Justice.
When informed that Punia belonged to the Jaat community and had converted to Buddhism, the CJI reacted sharply:
“Wow! This is a new type of fraud.”
Counsel for the petitioner argued that religious conversion was his client’s constitutional right, but the bench was not convinced.
The Court noted that the petitioner had earlier identified himself as belonging to the general category and was not eligible under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) either. The judges questioned whether mere conversion, especially from a dominant caste background, without social indicators of backwardness, could qualify someone for benefits meant for religious minorities.
In light of these concerns, the Court directed the Chief Secretary of Haryana to submit a detailed report on the procedure for issuing minority certificates. The bench asked the state to clarify:
- What are the existing guidelines for issuance of minority certificates?
- Is it permissible for a general category candidate, not covered under EWS, to later claim minority status after converting to Buddhism?
- What checks are in place to verify such conversions?
Though the Court dismissed Punia’s plea seeking minority status-based admission, it kept the broader matter open for further hearing after the state government files its response.
