Dalit boy misses IIT seat admission deadline by minutes, CJI Chandrachud assures support
It has been four days since the fourth round of counselling at the Indian Institutes of Technology took place. Yet, 18-year-old Atul Kumar from Titora village in Muzaffarnagar of Uttar Pradesh had missed the cut for his maiden IIT seat at Dhanbad by just three minutes. Server had crashed when Atul was paying the ₹17,500 acceptance fee at IIT Madras. He lost the opportunity there, which denied him the chance of being an engineer. Still, his struggle for justice helped him to go to the national level; during the recent hearing at the Supreme Court, he has been assured help from Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.
Promising IIT Journey
Atul Kumar is a source of inspiration to ambition, perseverance, and community support. Although his family hails from a very poor and financially back-breaking lineage, there never was a moment when Atul lost hope and swore never to give up and go on fighting the crack-tough IIT JEE. He toils under Meerut’s shine sun with his laborer dad, who works as a part-time tailor to both ends meet. Years of struggle finally bore fruits when, according to God’s grace, I got the opportunity to sit in a chair at this premier institution, IIT Dhanbad, which has earned repute for the pursuit of excellence in engineering and technology education by taking the course of Electronics Engineering.
However, an inadequate amount of money had always raised a bar in realizing that dream which had been cherished by Atul. The deficit in the family’s account was still ₹ 17,500. After all, Atul had nearly lost all hope when the whole village stood up for him. Titora villagers collectively gathered that amount of money too and instilled hope in Atul, for the third time also.
Overcoming Deadline by Just a Few Minutes
The acceptance fee payment and confirmation for the seat in IIT Dhanbut would be made before 5 p.m. on June 24, 2024. Atul had the amount and was using the amount to upload his document, and moreover, in the portal of IIT Dhanbad, to make the payment. His loss duration would be only some minutes because the server crashed when he logged out. Just one small technical glitch would deprive Atul of the prize chair of his dreams in one of India’s most elite institutes of engineering.
Pleading to get a solution, Atul approached the High Court of Jharkhand, which directed him to appeal before the Madras High Court. For months together, no decision came in and in that scenario, Atul’s lawyer felt that there would only be delay and advised him to withdraw the petition. Understandably, Atul felt nothing concrete had been done so far; he took his plea to Supreme Court of India.
CJI Chandrachud’s Assurances
It was at this time when the whole case looked to be at loggerheads and things were in delicate balance that CJI Chandrachud held out hope for Atul as he reiterated a few points.
Atul’s case was produced on 24 September 2024, in front of a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. At the time of the case hearing, it was even recognised by the Supreme Court how sad the case was that Atul was going through. “How much can we do for him?” Chief Justice of India Chandrachud told the young boy.
“We will do our best to help you,” Chief Justice of India Chandrachud said in the hearing process. However, it chided Atul for delaying getting the matter before it. “What were you doing for the last three months as the fee deposit deadline expired on June 24?” the bench asked. Still, the court promised to pursue all means possible to help Atul.
The date for September 30 was fixed and much was expected to happen then.
Legal Precedents and Hope for Atul
Earlier, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud had intervened in a plea by students whose arrival is accompanied by some unexpected circumstances that made them miss admission deadlines. In 2021, when a Dalit student’s admission to IIT Bombay was allowed by the bench led by CJI Chandrachud on account of a delay in the payment of admission fee, the court moved by the peculiar circumstances of the student, particularly penury and technical glitches which were exactly the same in the Atul case.
This judicial precedent gives hope to Atul and his family. In fact, judgments of the Supreme Court in the past do show its intention and desire to ensure that underprivileged students are not deprived of opportunities fairly due to some technical mess-ups or financial hardships.
Financial Struggles and Community Support
Financial Obstacles and Grass Root Support Atul’s saga has moistened many eyes in this land. His father, though a labourer and tailor, had hardly any savings; yet the village coming together saved enough to send him there. Atul’s villagers at Titora came together to bring in whatever small saving would make up for the fee.
On its part, community intervention can play a very crucial role in helping the students who come from less well-off backgrounds cross over the financial hurdle to achieve their most cherished dreams.
So much determination on Atul’s part, to succeed against insurmountable odds he faced and vanquished, speaking for the grit of so many young Indians who are determined and aspire to be educated out of poverty. His story is once a reminder of intractable structures of inequality many students face but also one of inspiration for others in such circumstances.
The Road Ahead
September 30 would be the day of the next hearing in the Supreme Court when Atul Kumar and his family may be prepared with hope that justice would prevail and he get his seat in IIT Dhanbad. It was indeed a long and arduous process in the legal fraternity, yet CJI Chandrachud assures him to look up with renewed optimism for the favorable verdict.
The case of Atul brings the issue of Indian students belonging to the economically weaker sections of society in India to the debate over the question of whether higher education is accessible or not. It may become a precedent concerning the ways in which courts and educational institutions deal with such cases where technical or financial difficulties cause meritorious students to be unable to hold prestigious programs. Therefore, the whole struggle of Atul Kumar is to get a seat in IIT but no student was left behind in this process. The social importance of justice, equality, and humanity to gain education sums up the story.
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