On Thursday, July 18, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) made significant strides in its investigation into the NEET paper scam case by detaining three doctors from AIIMS Patna for questioning. This development occurred just hours ahead of a scheduled court hearing at the Supreme Court. According to reports, all three detained doctors belong to the 2021 batch, and their rooms were sealed by the CBI, with laptops and phones seized for further investigation.
The detention of these doctors follows closely on the heels of the CBI’s recent arrests of two individuals, Pankaj Kumar and Raju Singh, accused of involvement in stealing question papers for the NEET-UG exam. Pankaj Kumar, identified as a member of the paper leak gang, allegedly procured the question papers with assistance from Raju. A special court in Patna had earlier sentenced Pankaj Kumar to 14 days in CBI custody and Raju to 10 days.
This latest action by the CBI brings the total number of arrests in connection with the NEET paper leak case to nine individuals. Additionally, the agency holds custody of 13 more accused, including Rocky alias Rakesh Ranjan, a key figure implicated in Bihar.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is set to hear multiple petitions related to the contentious NEET-UG 2024 exam on July 18. The court postponed the hearing to allow responses from the Center and the National Testing Agency (NTA) to be received by concerned parties. The court has expressed concern over the sanctity of the NEET-UG 2024 exam and has sought detailed information from the NTA and CBI regarding the alleged paper leak, hinting at the possibility of ordering a re-test if irregularities are confirmed.
In response to the court’s queries, both the Center and the NTA have submitted new affidavits. The Center’s affidavit, based on data analysis by IIT-Madras, indicates no evidence of widespread malpractice benefiting specific candidates with unusually high scores. The NTA’s affidavit echoed similar findings, stressing that the exam’s integrity was not compromised systematically despite variations in candidate scores due to a reduced syllabus.
Today, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will hear more than 40 petitions related to the NEET-UG controversy. The CBI, meanwhile, has filed six FIRs investigating various aspects of the NEET-UG exam, including paper leaks in Bihar and instances of impersonation and cheating in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.
NEET-UG, administered by the NTA, is a crucial examination for admissions to undergraduate medical and dental courses across India. The exam, held on May 5th this year, saw participation from over 23 lakh candidates across numerous centres, including international locations.
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