The Supreme Court used its powers under Article 142 on Monday and granted relief to a Scheduled Caste candidate who qualified for admission to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Dhanbad but was barred from admission due to a delay in submitting the fees of Rs 17,500.
The counsel appearing for the Dalit student informed the bench that since the candidate's father was a daily wage worker, arranging for the admission fees of Rs. 17,500/- took time beyond the portal's deadline.
The last date for submitting the fees on the portal was June 24. The candidate managed to arrange the money by 4.45 PM on June 24, but by the time he uploaded the documents and proceeded for the online payment, the time crossed the deadline of 5 PM, the lawyer submitted. The counsel today told the court that he collected the money from villagers and could manage the sum just at the last moment, which was evident by the bank account details.
The court said that a talented student like the petitioner, who belongs to a marginalised group and did everything to secure admission should not be left out and Article 142 that provided for substantial justice is for this purpose only.
"Thus we direct that the 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. No existing student be disturbed and let a supernumerary seat be created for the candidate. All the best! Do well," the CJI Chandrachud said while dictating the order.
The Supreme Court granted this relief to the petitioner noting that he is a meritorious student who appeared for JEE Advanced 2024 and secured a rank of 1455 in his category. He was allotted IIT-Dhanbad seat in Electrical Engineering. The top court noted that this was his last attempt and his father is a daily wager. The court further noted that the family income is below the poverty line.
