Supreme Court Addresses Admissions Interference, Vande Mataram Case

In New Delhi on Wednesday, India's Supreme Court, presided over by Chief Justice Surya Kant along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, addressed two distinct cases during hearings that highlighted concerns over judicial integrity and constitutional freedoms. The bench expressed strong disapproval in a medical admissions dispute after learning that a petitioner's father had contacted the Chief Justice's brother to complain about a court order, while separately dismissing a challenge to government guidelines on performing the national song Vande Mataram as premature.

The first matter involved siblings Nikhil Kumar Punia and Ekta Punia, general category candidates from Haryana's Jat Punia community, who sought admission to a postgraduate medical course at Subharti Medical College in Meerut, a Buddhist minority institution recognized by the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions. The petitioners claimed eligibility under the Buddhist minority quota following their conversion to Buddhism, supported by certificates issued by a subdivisional officer in Hisar. In a January 28 hearing, the court had raised doubts about the conversions' authenticity,...