NEET Row
– PC : istock
The CBI has arrested two persons including a key accused in the NEET-UG paper leak case who allegedly stole the paper from a National Testing Agency’s (NTA) trunk in Hazaribagh in Jharkhand, officials said on July 16.
With the two arrests, the total number of persons arrested in connection with cases pertaining to leakage, impersonation and other irregularities in the medical entrance exam has now reached 14, they said.
Pankaj Singh, also known as Aditya, was arrested in Patna. According to CBI sources, Singh, who has a degree in civil engineering, allegedly stole the exam papers from a trunk, which were later leaked. In Hazaribagh, another suspect, Raju, was arrested. He is accused of distributing the leaked exam papers.
Supreme Court Hearing on NEET UG 2024 ‘Paper Leak’ Case Postponed to 18 July
Hearing Postponed: The Supreme Court has postponed the hearing on the NEET UG 2024 ‘paper leak’ case to July 18.
Reason for Postponement: The adjournment occurred because some parties had not yet received the affidavits filed by the Centre and NTA.
CJI’s Observation: The bench led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) stressed the need for these parties to carefully consider the responses before proceeding with arguments.
The high courts previously addressed the issue on 8 July, noting that the NEET paper leak occurred in a single location.
The SC bench will also consider a separate petition from over 50 successful NEET candidates requesting an order to prevent the Centre from canceling NEET.
According to media reports, the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, leading the bench, stated that a re-test would be necessary if the sanctity of NEET-UG 2024 is compromised, questioned the NTA and CBI about the timing and duration of the paper leak, and also addressed a separate plea from over 50 successful Gujarat-based candidates seeking to prevent the exam’s cancellation, giving petitioners’ lawyers a day to submit a consolidated argument.
The bench also observed that if the NEET paper leak occurred on social media platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp, it would spread rapidly, noting suspicions of irregularities due to an unprecedented 67 candidates scoring a perfect 100 percentile, while the NEET UG 2024 exam, held by NTA on May 5, offered admission into various medical courses across India.
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