Who's Atul Kumar—Dalit student who'll join IIT-Dhanbad after SC order
Atul Kumar, an 18-year-old Dalit student from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, has been granted admission to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Dhanbad by the Supreme Court. The top court used its extraordinary powers under Article 142 to direct the institute to admit him. Kumar had initially missed his opportunity due to a delay in paying the required fee of ₹17,500.
Kumar's journey to secure his IIT seat
Kumar, hailing from a family below the poverty line, bagged a seat in Electronics Engineering at IIT Dhanbad after acing the tough Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). His father, Rajendra Kumar, works as a daily-wage laborer, making ₹450 a day. Even with tight finances, Rajendra somehow managed to gather the admission fee for his son. But, due to some technical glitches with the portal server, they missed the payment deadline.
Supreme Court intervenes in Kumar's case
Kumar then sought help from different legal bodies. His journey eventually took him to the Supreme Court, where a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud heard his case. The court pointed out that the fee deposit deadline was 5:00pm on June 24, and Kumar's parents had managed to arrange the funds by 4:45pm. However, due to some technical glitches with the portal, the payment couldn't be processed in time.
Court directs IIT Dhanbad to admit Kumar
During the hearing, Justice JB Pardiwala asked IIT's counsel why they were opposing the admission, saying that if everything was fine and Kumar had deposited ₹17,500 before the deadline, he would have been admitted. The bench then told IIT Dhanbad to admit Kumar using its extraordinary powers under Article 142. "No existing student be disturbed and let a supernumerary seat be created for the candidate," the bench said.
Kumar's future at IIT Dhanbad secured
The court also mentioned that Kumar would get all the benefits that come with it, including a hostel room. After the hearing, Kumar expressed his relief and gratitude. He said, "My life is now back on track... The CJI did great, he said that financial constraints should not pose a hurdle in one's progress."
