The Supreme Court on Monday came to the rescue of a Dalit youth, who had lost his seat in IIT Dhanbad after missing the deadline to deposit a fee, by asking the institute to admit him to the BTech course. "We cannot allow such a young talented boy to go away. He cannot be left in lurch," a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said.
The top court used its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution in asking the IIT Dhanbad to admit Atul Kumar into its Electrical Engineering BTech course. "We are of the view that a talented student like the petitioner who belongs to a marginalised group who did all to secure admission should not be left out... we direct that candidate is granted admission to IIT Dhanbad and let him be in the same batch to which he would have been granted admission if the fees would have been paid," the bench said in the order. Article 142 of the Constitution empowers the top court to pass any order in the interest of justice.
The parents of Atul Kumar, 18, failed to deposit Rs 17,500 as the acceptance fee by June 24, the deadline for depositing the requisite fees for blocking the seat.