Supreme Court grants medical degrees despite invalid tribe certificates.
Bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Rajesh Bindal delivered the ruling.
Appellants must pay ₹10 lakh each as compensation.
Degrees to be issued within 24 hours after deposit.
Court cites public interest and shortage of doctors as key reason.
In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court of India has granted medical degrees to two doctors whose Scheduled Tribe certificates were declared invalid, stating that denying their qualifications after years of completed study would not serve public interest.
A bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Rajesh Bindal allowed partial relief to the appellants while directing them to pay compensation for occupying reserved seats based on invalid claims.
The Court made it clear that although the caste certificates were invalid, the appellants had completed their medical education and qualified on merit. The judges observed that India already faces a shortage of qualified doctors and wasting trained professionals would harm society.
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The bench stated:
“As it is, the country lacks enough qualified doctors. Granting partial relief to the appellants would not compromise merit; rather, it would enable qualified doctors to serve the public.”
The Court emphasized that relief must balance legality with larger societal interest. It noted that the appellants had successfully completed the MBBS curriculum and earned their qualifications through academic performance.
The case involved Vivek Kumar and his father Sayanna, who had claimed Scheduled Tribe status under “Mannervarlu” for medical admissions in Maharashtra.
During verification, the Caste Scrutiny Committee found inconsistencies in school records and family documentation. Authorities discovered that Sayanna’s earlier caste certificate had already been invalidated in 1983. The Court noted that this fact was not disclosed when new certificates were obtained decades later.
The Bombay High Court had previously denied relief, observing that the petitioners did not approach the court with clean hands and had suppressed material facts.
The matter reached the Supreme Court in Civil Appeal No. 3089 of 2026, Vivek Kumar v. State of Maharashtra and Others, along with connected appeals.
While granting degrees, the Supreme Court imposed strict conditions:
Vivek Kumar and another appellant, Sachin, must each deposit ₹10 lakh within three months.
The amount will be paid to the Vice Chancellor of the concerned university.
The sum is meant to compensate students who may have been deprived of admission due to the invalid caste claims.
Upon deposit, the university must issue the degree certificates within 24 hours.
The Court clarified that the payment is compensatory in nature and not merely punitive.
For the appellants:
Advocate on Record Amol B. Karande
Advocates Ashutosh Srivastava
Akshada
B Lakshmi Pallesh
For the respondents:
Advocate on Record Aaditya Aniruddha Pande
Shirish K. Deshpande
Sarad Kumar Singhania
Rukhmini Bobde
Siddharth Dharmadhikari, among others