The Special CBI Court in Patna has sent two accused in the NEET question paper leak case to CBI remand following a request from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday. Accused Baldev Kumar, also known as Chintu, and Mukesh Kumar were remanded to CBI custody as the investigation into the NEET-UG question paper leak case continues. Currently, 18 accused individuals have been placed in custody for interrogation.
The hearing in the NEET paper leak case was completed today before CBI Special Judicial Magistrate Harsh Vardhan Singh. The CBI presented its decision in the court regarding the application to take the accused on remand. Subsequently, the court sent Chintu Kumar and Mukesh Kumar on CBI remand, allowing the CBI to conduct further interrogation.
In a related development, the Union Health Ministry postponed the National Eligibility and Entrance Test postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2024 examination, initially scheduled for June 23. President of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, Abhijat Sheth, stated on Tuesday that the standard operating procedures and protocols would be reviewed promptly, with the next examination date to be announced by next week. This statement followed a review meeting between officials of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences and the Union Health Ministry, held to assess the situation and the input received before the examination was postponed.
The postponement of the NEET-PG 2024 examinations comes amid rising controversy over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam held on May 5. The Bihar government issued a notification on Monday, officially handing over the NEET-UG paper leak case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a thorough probe. Following this, the CBI formed special teams to investigate the case comprehensively, as announced in a statement on Sunday.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the NEET (UG) Examination on May 5, 2024, in OMR (pen and paper) mode. Reports of alleged irregularities, cheating, impersonation, and malpractices have surfaced, prompting the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to entrust the matter to the CBI for a comprehensive investigation. The NTA faces criticism over these alleged irregularities, resulting in protests and demands to disband the agency. An unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 out of 720, further fueling concerns.
In response to the controversy, the Centre removed Subodh Kumar Singh, the director general of the NTA, and replaced him with retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Pradeep Singh Kharola. Kharola, Chairman and Managing Editor of the India Trade Promotion Organisation, has been given additional charge as the director general of the NTA “till the appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders.”
Additionally, the government constituted a seven-member committee to recommend ways to improve the NTA’s functioning. Nearly 24 lakh students appeared for the NEET-UG 2024 for undergraduate medical courses on May 5. The results were announced on June 4, ten days ahead of schedule, but allegations of question paper leaks and grace marks to over 1,500 students triggered widespread protests and legal challenges, including a pending Supreme Court hearing scheduled for July 8.
On Wednesday, the Education Ministry cancelled the UGC-NET exam, also conducted by the NTA, just a day after it was held, affecting over 9 lakh candidates. The exam determines eligibility for assistant professor posts in universities and colleges and junior research fellowships. Pradhan revealed that the UGC chairman received information from the cyber crime team in the Home Ministry about the questions being on the darknet. The CSIR UGC NET, similar to the UGC NET but for science students, was postponed on Friday, and NEET PG was pushed back on Saturday.
The INDI alliance, which won 232 seats in the recently held Lok Sabha elections and prevented the BJP from securing a majority on its own, has also been critical of the Centre over this issue.
