Supreme Court Ensures IIT Admission for Marginalised Youth Missing Fee Deadline

The Supreme Court invoked Article 142 to offer relief to Atul Kumar, a student from a marginalised group, enabling his admission to IIT Dhanbad despite missing the fee deadline. The court emphasized the importance of not excluding talented students from admission.

The Supreme Court, leveraging its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, ordered IIT Dhanbad on Monday to admit a youth from a marginalised background into its BTech course. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, alongside justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, stressed that talented students like the petitioner should not be denied admission.

Atul Kumar, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, had qualified for IIT Dhanbad but missed the fee payment deadline. Seeking relief, he approached the Supreme Court, which then exercised Article 142 to ensure his admission. This article empowers the Supreme Court to deliver complete justice in any ongoing matter.

Kumar, the son of a daily wager, had been allotted a seat but was unable to pay the Rs 17,500 admission fee online by the June 24, 2024, 5 pm cut-off. The apex court emphasized that his talent should not be squandered and directed IIT Dhanbad to place him in the appropriate batch.

Prior to seeking the Supreme Court's intervention, Kumar contacted the District Legal Services Authority in Jharkhand and was advised to approach a competent court in Chennai, as the examination was conducted by IIT Madras. Ultimately, he was informed that the sought relief was not viable under Article 226.

In its last hearing, the Supreme Court deemed this case appropriate for issuing notice to determine potential measures to safeguard the petitioner's admission. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)