SC Directs IIT Bombay To Adopt Humanitarian Approach And Allot Seat To Dalit Student In 48 hours

This court has before it a young Dalit student who is on the verge of losing a valuable seat that has been awarded to him at IIT Bombay, said a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna.

Supreme Court. (File Photo)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday ordered IIT Bombay to offer a seat to a young Dalit kid who lost out owing to the non-functioning of his credit card within 48 hours, urging the top engineering college to take a humanitarian approach.

The top court used its plenary powers to order the IIT Bombay, to provide a supernumerary seat to the little boy from Allahabad, stating that it would be a farce of justice if he was turned away from the Supreme Court's doors.

This court has before it a young Dalit student who is on the verge of losing a valuable seat that has been awarded to him at IIT Bombay, said a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna.

The appellant's journey took him from Allahabad, where he is now studying, via Kharagpur, Bombay, and finally to the national capital. Given the facts of the case, it would be a gross mockery of justice if the young Dalit student who has waited so long to approach this court is turned away.

Panel remarked that if the petitioner Prince Jaibir Singh, who received 864 All India ranks in the SC category in the IIT entrance test, is not accepted this academic year, he will be unable to sit for any subsequent entrance examinations because he has taken the exam twice in a row.

We believe that this is a suitable matter in which the exercise of jurisdiction under Article 142 of the Constitution is required at this time, based on the circumstances before the court. As a result, we instruct the first and second respondents (IIT Bombay) to ensure that the appellant receives the seat that has been assigned to him at IIT Bombay, the bench said.

The bench stated that this will be done without disrupting any other pupils who have already been admitted.

(With inputs from PTI)