Allot seat to Dalit boy within 48 hours: SC to IIT Bombay

The apex court said it would be a “travesty of justice” if he was denied admission and failed to receive help from the nation’s highest court of law. 

The Supreme Court has directed the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay to allot a seat to a 17-year-old Dalit boy who could not get admission to the institute due to non-payment of fees because of technical error.  The apex court has invoked its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution and directed authorities to create a seat for him within 48 hours.  

Prince Jaibir Singh, who hails from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, had been allotted a seat in four-year BTech course in civil engineering at IIT Bombay on October 27. He could not pay fee while uploading documents on the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) portal on October 29 as he did not have enough money at that time. Later on October 30, when the money was arranged, he tried paying fee online but encountered a technical glitch.  

The court said that “it would be a great travesty of justice if the young Dalit student is denied admission for non-payment of fees”. “This court has before it a young Dalit student, who is on the verge of losing a valued seat which has been allocated in IIT Bombay. The travails of the appellant have taken him from Allahabad, where he is presently studying, to Kharagpur (which organised JEE-Advanced this year) and then to Mumbai and eventually to the national capital. Having regard to facts of the case, it would be a great travesty of justice if the young Dalit student is denied admission for non-payment of fees to IIT-Bombay after having tried to do so. Hence, we are of the view that it is a fit case of Article 142 in the interim stage,” the court added.  

Article 142 enables the Supreme Court to pass orders as is necessary to ensure “complete justice” in a matter pending before it. 

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