Supreme Court orders IIT Dhanbad to admit Dalit student who missed fee deadline

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed IIT Dhanbad to grant admission to a Dalit student who lost his seat after failing to meet the deadline for fee payment. The student, Atul Kumar from Uttar Pradesh, missed the deadline to deposit Rs 17,500 due to financial constraints. His father, a daily wage laborer, tried to arrange the money but was unable to do so in time.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud took up the case and expressed concern over the difficulties the student faced.

“We cannot allow such a young talented boy to go away. He approached the Jharkhand Legal Services Authority, then Chennai, and finally the High Court. A Dalit boy is being made to run from pillar to post,” remarked the Chief Justice.

Atul Kumar, who had secured admission to the prestigious IIT Dhanbad, faced a major setback when his family couldn’t pay the required fee by the June 24 deadline. His father managed to crowdsource the funds just minutes before the deadline, but as Atul was uploading the necessary documents, the time ran out.

Undeterred, the family pursued legal action. Over three months, they sought help from the SC/ST Commission and approached the Jharkhand and Madras High Courts. When their efforts yielded no results, they turned to the Supreme Court.

Recognizing the student’s determination and the challenges he faced, the Supreme Court used its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to pass an order in the interest of justice. The court directed IIT Dhanbad to admit Atul Kumar into its BTech Electrical Engineering course and place him in the same batch as if he had submitted the fee on time.

“We are of the view that a talented student like the petitioner, who belongs to a marginalized group and did everything to secure admission, should not be left out…,” the court stated in its order.

Atul’s lawyer informed the court that his father earns ₹450 a day, making it extremely difficult to arrange ₹17,500 within the short deadline. The Chief Justice acknowledged the family’s financial difficulties and remarked, “The only thing that stopped him from paying was the inability to pay, and as the Supreme Court of India, we need to see that.”

Following the court’s decision, an elated Atul Kumar expressed his relief, saying, “The derailed train is back on track now. I am very happy that my seat could not be taken away due to financial problems. I will now focus on becoming an electrical engineer from IIT-Dhanbad.”

As the case concluded, Chief Justice Chandrachud wished Atul well, saying, “All the best. Achha kariye (Do well).”