Dalit daily-wager's son clears JEE-Advanced but can't get into IIT due to...; know what he did next

Atul Kumar, an 18-year-old promising youth and son of a Dalit daily wage labourer from Uttar Pradesh's Muzzafarnagar, could not get into Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) despite cracking the JEE-Advanced as he was unable to make the required fee payment, i.e., Rs 17,500. 

Kumar had cracked the JEE-Advanced with an impressive score and secured a seat in Electrical Engineering in IIT, Dhanbad. However, his hard work and efforts went into vain as he was unable to pay the fees, which was indeed a huge amount for his family. 

As the deadline for fee payment approached, the 18-year-old knocked on many doors – National Scheduled Caste Commission, Jharkhand Legal Services Authority and Madras High Court to save himself a seat in IIT. After he got no relief, Atul Kumar had to approach the Supreme Court, urging that it interfere to save his hard-earned seat and dream to pull his family out of poverty. 

18-year-old Kumar told a bench of CJI D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra that he had cleared the JEE-Advanced in his second and last attempt but failed to secure a seat in IIT due to his inability to make the fee payment on time.

Bearing in mind the hardships the laborious student had to go through, CJI Chandrachud assured him that the apex court would assist him as far as possible. 

"We will help you as far as possible. But what were you doing for the last three months as the fee deposit deadline expired on June 24?" asked the CJI, to which, Kumar's lawyer narrated him the difficulties his family had to face while arranging the money, that too, within four days after the seat-allotment. 

The SC sought response from Joint Seat Allocation Authority, IIT Admissions, IIT Madras, which had conducted this year's exam.

How did Atul miss the IIT seat?

After Atul Kumar secured himself a seat in one of the most pretigious institutes in the country, he and his family were on cloud nine. However, things went wrong for them as arranging the fee proved to be a herculean task. The last date for the fee submission was June 24, 2024 and the portal was to be closed by 5 p.m.

By 4:45 p.m., Kumar's father Rajendra Kumar somehow arranged the money. Atul quickly opened the portal and submitted the required documents. By the time he was making the fee payment, it was already 5 o'clock and the portal went closed. 

The fee could not be deposited and his saved seat was cancelled.