On Thursday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed its first charge sheet in the ongoing investigation into the NEET-UG exam paper leak. The charge sheet names 13 individuals and indicates that the probe is still ongoing.
The CBI has so far arrested 40 people, including the alleged mastermind behind the leak from a Hazaribagh school, several MBBS students who were involved in solving the leaked papers, and other facilitators.
The accused listed in the charge sheet are Nitish Kumar, Amit Anand, Sikander Yadvendu, Ashutosh Kumar-1, Roshan Kumar, Manish Prakash, Ashutosh Kumar-2, Akhilesh Kumar, Avdesh Kumar, Anurag Yadav, Abhishek Kumar, Shivnandan Kumar, and Ayush Raj. The CBI has used advanced forensic techniques, artificial intelligence, CCTV footage, and mobile tower location analysis to gather evidence against these individuals.
The investigation began on June 23 after the Union Ministry of Education reported irregularities in the NEET-UG exam. The CBI formed special teams to investigate the leaks and conducted raids at 58 locations over the past 39 days. Despite the arrests and progress in the investigation, the CBI spokesperson stated that the agency is still looking into other suspects and aspects of the case. Additional charge sheets may be filed as the investigation continues.
Last month, the Supreme Court directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Central government to submit detailed affidavits about their actions and asked for a status report from the CBI. The Supreme Court acknowledged that there had been a compromise in the NEET-UG exam due to the paper leak and directed the NTA to outline measures taken to identify those who benefited from the leak.
In its affidavit, the Union government argued against re-conducting the exam, stating that there was no large-scale breach of confidentiality. The government claimed that re-conducting the exam would disrupt the academic calendar and was unnecessary due to the lack of widespread evidence of malpractice.
ALSO READ: “NEET UG Counselling 2024 to Start on August 14: All You Need to Know”
The 2024 NEET-UG, conducted by the NTA, was marred by allegations of question paper leaks, inflated marking, and arbitrary grace marks. The exam took place on May 5 at 4,750 centers across 571 cities, including 14 abroad, with 2.3 million candidates participating.
When the results were declared on June 4, concerns grew as 67 candidates achieved perfect scores of 720, with several of them coming from the same examination center. This controversy led to widespread protests by students and political parties. In response to the scandal, the Union government has replaced the head of the NTA.
Comments