In an important judgment, the Supreme Court directed IIT Dhanbad to provide admission to Dalit students who were unable to enroll due to inability to pay fees on time. Due to financial hardship, the student is unable to pay tuition. He subsequently took the matter to the Supreme Court.
Atul Kumar, 18, the son of a daily wage earner and a resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district, cracked the JEE exam in his last attempt. He was offered a seat in the electrical engineering department but lost it after failing to pay the fees before the June 24 deadline.
Despite financial constraints, Atul did not give up and approached the Jharkhand High Court and the Madras High Court for help. Finally he reached the Supreme Court.
During the hearing on Monday, a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said, “We cannot afford to lose such a young talent. He went to the legal asylum in Jharkhand and then to the legal services in Chennai and finally Arrived at the High Court. A Dalit boy was pushed at every door.”
