Atul Kumar was all smiles as he walked out of the Supreme Court this afternoon. A short while back, a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud used its extraordinary powers to ask IIT Dhanbad to admit Atul Kumar to its electrical engineering course.
The 18-year-old Dalit youth from Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar cracked the difficult entrance exam to the country's most coveted engineering course this year. He is from a family below poverty line and his father, a daily-wage labourer, could not arrange the Rs 17,500 admission fee in time to block the seat.
Atul then ran from pillar to post to save the hard-earned seat. He approached the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, but the panel said it cannot help. Atul also went to the Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority because he had taken the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) at a centre in Jharkhand. The legal services body suggested he approach the Madras High Court because IIT Madras had conducted JEE this time. The high court then asked him to approach the Supreme Court where he got relief.
"I have been provided with the seat. I am very happy. The court said my seat could not be snatched away solely due to a financial problem. The train that had derailed is back on track now," he said with a smile. Atul said he was hopeful of getting help from the top court. Asked what lies ahead, he replied, "I will work hard and become an electrical engineer from IIT-Dhanbad."
Earlier, the Chief Justice-led bench said it cannot allow such a talent to be wasted. "He went to Jharkhand Legal Services Authority. Then he is (sent) to Chennai legal services and then to the high court. He is a Dalit boy, he is being made to run from pillar to post," the bench said.
The petitioner's counsel said Atul's father earns Rs 450 daily. "The task of arranging 17,500 is a big deal. He collected money from villagers."
"The only thing that stopped him from paying was the inability to pay and as the Supreme Court of India, we need to see that," the Chief Justice said.
The court used its extraordinary powers under Article 142 to ask IIT Dhanbad to grant admission to Atul in the same batch. "No existing student be disturbed and let a supernumerary seat be created for the candidate," the bench said. The Chief Justice wished Atul: "All the best. achha kariye!"
