On Monday, the Supreme Court exercised its powers under Article 142 to provide relief to a Scheduled Caste candidate who qualified for admission to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Dhanbad. The student was denied admission due to a delay in submitting the required fee of ₹17,500.
The student’s counsel informed the bench that his father, a daily wage worker, needed extra time to arrange the admission fee, which led to the delay beyond the portal’s deadline. The court emphasized that a deserving student from a marginalized background should not be excluded from admission, as Article 142 is designed to ensure substantial justice.
Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud stated, “We direct that the candidate be granted admission to IIT Dhanbad in the same batch he would have joined had the fees been paid on time. No existing student shall be disturbed, and a supernumerary seat will be created for him. All the best! Do well.”
The Supreme Court noted that the petitioner is a meritorious student who secured a rank of 1455 in his category in the JEE Advanced 2024 and was allotted a seat in Electrical Engineering at IIT Dhanbad. The court acknowledged that this was the student’s last attempt and highlighted the family’s financial struggles, as their income falls below the poverty line.
The deadline for fee submission was June 24. Although the candidate managed to arrange the funds by 4:45 PM on that date, he was unable to complete the online payment before the portal closed at 5 PM. The lawyer explained that the student had collected money from villagers, as shown in the bank account details, to meet the last-minute requirement.
