UP: Dalit Boy Misses Admission Fee Deadline By Few Minutes, Loses IIT Dhanbad Seat; CJI Chandrachud Assures Help

An 18-year-old boy from Titora village in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district, found himself on the brink of a life-changing opportunity when he secured a seat in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). However, his dreams were shattered when he missed the deadline to pay acceptance fee of rs 17,500 by just three minutes due to server failure. 

The boy earlier gave up on his dreams as he was unable to afford Rs 17,500. However, the entire village came together and pooled money for his admission to a prestigious engineering and technology institution in the country.

However, when the case reached before the bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, the CJI assured him of help. The 18-year-old boy identified as  Atul Kumar, had reportedly cleared the competitive exam in his last attempt but was unable to pay the required fee by the deadline of June 24.

Atul was reportedly allotted a seat in Electronics Engineering at IIT Dhanbad and his family was struggling with financial issues. His father works as a labourer in Meerut and a part-time tailor. 

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The last date to apply for the admission was 5 pm on June 24. When Atul was uploading his documents on the online portal of IIT Dhanbad, the website logged him out automatically just minutes before the deadline. 

Following the delay, Atul sought legal assistance. He initially approached the Jharkhand High Court, which advised him to file a petition in the Madras High Court. Following a hearing in the Madras High Court, Atul’s lawyer suggested withdrawing the case due to delays caused by the respondent. Following this, Atul sought help from the Supreme Court. 

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During a hearing on September 24, a top court bench comprising  Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra assured all possible help to the youth. “We will help you as far as possible. But what were you doing for the last three months as the fee deposit deadline expired on June 24," the apex court said. The next hearing will be held on September 30 (Monday). 

Earlier in 2021, a bench led by CJI Chandrachud allowed a Dalit student to take admission to IIT Bombay despite the delay in paying the online admission fee.