The Supreme Court today ordered IIT Bombay to accept the student within 48 hours.
New Delhi:
A 17-year-old Dalit student who was about to lose her seat at the country’s top technical institute IIT for late payment of fees was bailed out by the Supreme Court today.
The student from Allahabad of Uttar Pradesh, was selected for civil engineering at IIT’s Bombay campus on 27 October.
However, he initially couldn’t afford to pay the ‘acceptance fee’ – the initial amount to be paid online to secure a seat.
He then arranged the money with some help from his sister.
However, he faced technical problems on the website and failed to pay the fee ahead of time.
The student then went to Bombay High Court for relief but it refused his plea in this matter.
However, the Supreme Court today made comments in favor of the students and said that the authorities must take a humane stance on the matter.
Justice DY Chandrachud said it would be a “grave betrayal of justice” if the student failed to win a seat.
“You have to deal with students in a humane approach, this is just bureaucratic behavior. You can’t fabricate it,” Justice Chandrachud said.
Arguing that all the seats were full, the Supreme Court judge asked the government’s attorney to create one more seat.
“You have to make a seat! A lot of times the seat is left empty. You can adjust him there. Please tell the chairperson that students cannot be shaken,” said Justice DY Chandrachud.
Justice Chandrachud said: “It would be a serious counter-justice if a young student in Dalit was denied admission for failing to pay tuition fees and was rejected by the Supreme Court.”
The court added that “the reality of what happens on the ground” must be considered in the matter.
“Can’t we do something? We can show him the door to the five different points of the law. But this is a humane thing. Sometimes we have to go above the law. This is it. a dalit boy cracked IIT Bombay. As we all know he could be a leader of the country for the next 10 years.” Justice DY Chandrachud said in an earlier hearing about case.
.
