The CBI has filed an FIR in connection with alleged irregularities in the conduct of the medical entrance exam NEET-UG held on May 5, officials said on Sunday.
This comes a day after the Centre announced that the probe into the alleged irregularities in the test would be handed over to the agency.
The officials said that the CBI registered a fresh case against unidentified persons on a reference from the Union education ministry. Around 24 lakh students have taken the medical entrance test.
CBI REGISTERS CASE IN THE MATTER RELATED TO ALLEGATIONS OF IRREGULARITIES IN NEET-2024 EXAMINATION pic.twitter.com/Bm5GbKt1F4
— Central Bureau of Investigation (India) (@CBIHeadquarters) June 23, 2024
A senior official from the Union education ministry confirmed that the decision to hand over the investigation to CBI was made in response to widespread protests from students across various cities demanding transparency and fairness in the examination process.
Allegations of Malpractice
The controversy surrounding NEET-UG escalated further with the Bihar government’s Economic Offences Unit (EOU) indicating a possible paper leak. According to sources, the EOU’s preliminary investigation points towards involvement of an inter-state gang and the notorious ‘solvers gang’ from Bihar.
The Union education minister has assured NEET examinees that their interests will be safeguarded and all concerns addressed with fairness. However, opposition parties, including the Congress, have criticized the government’s handling of the situation, calling for a Supreme Court-monitored forensic investigation to ensure justice for the lakhs of affected students.
NEET-PG Postponed
In a precautionary move, the Union health ministry announced the postponement of the NEET-PG test scheduled for the following day. This decision, aimed at maintaining the integrity of the examination process, came amidst growing concerns over the NEET-UG controversy. Fresh dates for the NEET-PG exam will be announced soon.
“For transparency in the conduct of the examination process, it was decided after a review that the matter be handed over to the CBI for a comprehensive investigation,” the official added.
Meanwhile, in its report submitted to the Centre on Saturday, the Bihar government’s Economic Offences Unit (EOU) has said that its probe “clearly suggests a paper leak” in the NEET-UG examination, as reported by PIT.
Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra emphasized that the postponement was necessary to protect the interests of the students and uphold the sanctity of the examination system. It is notable that the NEET-PG test is not conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), which is currently embroiled in the NEET-UG examination controversy and had recently faced similar issues with the UGC-NET and CSIR UGC NET tests.
The developments have sparked widespread discussions and calls for stringent measures to prevent such incidents in future competitive examinations. The CBI’s involvement marks a significant step towards addressing the concerns raised by stakeholders and ensuring accountability in the conduct of national-level entrance exams for medical courses.
