IIT Dhanbad: India's Supreme Court saves a poor student's college dream

Atul Kumar missed the deadline to pay his college fee by a few seconds - then a court stepped in to help him.

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But then came the next step: paying 17,500 rupees ($281; £156) online to confirm his admission. It was a big amount for the family from Muzaffarnagar in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

His father managed to borrow the money, but Atul says he missed the online fee deadline by a few seconds, partly due to technical issues.

The family didn't give up, filing petitions and court cases. This week, India's top court stepped in and ordered the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Dhanbad, to restore Atul's admission.

The Supreme Court invoked its extraordinary powers granted by India's constitution, saying that "we cannot allow such a young talented boy to go away".

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx25nq12n10o

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