The Supreme Court intervened on Monday to help a young Dalit student who had lost his seat at IIT Dhanbad due to failure to pay the admission fee on time. The court directed the institute to admit the student to the B-Tech course, stating that they could not allow a talented individual to be left behind.
“We cannot allow such a young talented boy to miss out on this opportunity. He should not be abandoned,” the bench, consisting of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, expressed.
Using its special powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the top court ordered the institute to admit Atul Kumar into the Electrical Engineering B-Tech course. Article 142 empowers the Supreme Court to make decisions in the interest of justice.
Atul Kumar, an 18-year-old from a poverty-stricken family in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, had failed to pay the acceptance fee of ₹17,500 by the deadline on June 24. Despite his parents seeking help from various authorities, including the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the Madras High Court, Atul was unable to secure his seat.
After taking the JEE exam in Jharkhand, Atul sought assistance from the Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority, who advised him to approach the Madras High Court. Ultimately, the high court directed him to seek help from the Supreme Court, leading to the recent ruling in his favor.
