The story of Atul Kumar, an 18-year-old Dalit boy who was able to secure admission to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Dhanbad, with the intervention of the Supreme Court of India is nothing, if not heartwarming.
In a country marred by stark caste-based inequalities, especially in terms of access to higher education, the Supreme Court and the Uttar Pradesh government coming together to ensure that a Dalit aspirant, who cleared the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) with flying colours but was about to miss out on a golden opportunity based on a missed deadline, actually makes it to IIT Dhanbad, is a positive as well as a welcome development.
Many netizens, particularly Ambedkarite and Dalit rights accounts lauded this turn of events and wished the boy the best of luck.
However, with positivity and well-wishers, there also came the naysayers — who lost no opportunity to mock affirmative action policies in higher educational institutions and question Atul’s merit. (Trigger Warning: Casteist language, slurs & dog whistles)
A few users even made disparaging and condemnable remarks about his caste location, as well as social justice politics.
However, some well-meaning users also expressed concerns about the exposure of his caste identity, and that he might face discrimination at IIT Dhanbad from his general category (mostly upper caste) peers.
To recall, Atul, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, cleared the JEE and secured a seat at the institute’s Department of Electronics Engineering. However, his admission was stuck as his family was unable to pay the initial deposit of Rs 17,500 before the deadline — which they missed by minutes.
With no other option left, his family petitioned the Supreme Court, where a bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justices Manoj Misra and JB Pardiwala on Monday, September 30 used the apex court’s extraordinary powers under Article 142 to direct IIT Dhanbad to grant admission to Atul and grant him a superannuated seat in this year’s batch.
In addition, the government of Uttar Pradesh announced today, October 2 that the Department of Social Welfare would bear the cost of his education through the state’s scholarship scheme.
