SC Orders IIT Dhanbad to Admit Student After Seat Loss Due to Missed Fee Deadline

The Supreme Court ordered IIT Dhanbad to admit the student who lost his seat after missing the fee deadline. Check details here

The Supreme Court directed IIT Dhanbad to grant admission to a student who lost his seat after missing the fee payment deadline by just a few minutes. The student, who needed to pay a fee of INR 17,500 to secure his seat, faced disqualification due to the delay. The Court's decision ensures the student's admission despite the minor lapse in payment timing.

The bench ordered that Atul Kumar, a Scheduled Caste student, be admitted to the same batch at IIT Dhanbad. It instructed the creation of a supernumerary seat for him, ensuring no disruption to any existing students. Additionally, the court ruled that he is entitled to all related benefits, including hostel allotment.

“We are of the view that a talented student should not be left in the lurch. We direct that admission be granted to him in IIT Dhanbad,” a bench of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra ordered. “All the best! Achha kariye,” the CJI told the candidate as his lawyer informed the bench that senior advocates had decided to pay his fee.

IIT Counsel Claims Student Logged In Well Before Deadline

On Monday, the counsel representing the IIT authority stated that the student's login details showed he had logged in at 3 PM, indicating that he did not wait until the last minute to access the system. “From 3.12 pm he was just viewing his result,” without making any attempt to pay, the counsel said.

He added that Kumar was informed about the requisite payment on the date of the mock interview itself. Justice Pardiwala told the counsel, “Why are you opposing so much? You should see if something could be done.”

Kumar’s counsel told the bench that this was his last chance to secure admission, as only two attempts are permissible.  The CJI said, “He is such a bright student. Look at his log sheets. It is no way he would not press the button… The only thing which stopped him was the inability to pop up Rs 17,500. And as judges of the SC, we should ensure that no child loses admission because they don’t have Rs 17,500.”

The student told the court that his father, a daily-wage labourer, struggled to arrange the Rs 17,500 fee for the electrical engineering course at IIT Dhanbad. By the time the amount was ready, the portal's server had stopped responding. He first approached the Madras High Court, as IIT Madras was the JEE Advanced exam authority that year. However, after the court ruled that the relief he sought was beyond its jurisdiction, he took his case to the Supreme Court.

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