Bihar govt to hand over case related to NEET UG exam irregularities to CBI
Patna (Bihar) [India], June 23 (ANI): The Bihar government will hand over the investigation of alleged irregularities in the 2024 NEET-UG exam to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a thorough probe. The Economic Offences Unit shall hand over all the updated case records to the central agency, said an official on Sunday.
“Bihar government is to hand over the case related to the irregularities in the NEET UG examination held on May 5 to the CBI. The CBI team is expected soon in Patna to take over the investigation of the case. Economic Offences Unit shall hand over all the updated case records to CBI,” according to Economic Offences Unit (EOU) DIG, Nayyar Hasnain Khan.
The EOU official informed about the same and said, “The state government issued a notification on Sunday to accord its consent to the CBI in order to investigate the FIR no. 5117081240358 dated May 5, 2024, registered at Shastrinagar PS Patna case under sections 407, 408, 409, and 120B IPC,, which relates to irregularities in the NEET UG 2024 examination held on May 5, 2024.”
“The CBI team is expected soon in Patna to take over the investigation of the said case. EOU shall hand over all the updated case records to CBI,” he said.
After taking over the probe into the alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-UG exams in 2024, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has formed special teams to investigate the case, the central agency said in a statement on Sunday.
According to the CBI, special teams are being rushed to Patna in Bihar and Godhra in Gujarat, where local police cases have been registered.
This comes after the central government entrusted the CBI with the matter of alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam in 2024 for a comprehensive investigation.
“National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the NEET (UG) Examination on May 5, 2024, in OMR (pen and paper) mode. Certain cases of alleged irregularities, cheating, impersonation, and malpractices have been reported. For transparency on the conduct of the examination process, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, after a review, has decided to entrust the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a comprehensive investigation,” the government said
The Central Government has also enacted the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, to prevent unfair means in public examinations and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto,” it said.
“The government is committed to ensuring the sanctity of examinations and protecting the interests of students. It is reiterated that any individual or organisation found to be involved will face strictest action,” it added.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducted the NEET-UG exams, is facing criticism over alleged irregularities in the exams.
This resulted in several protests across the country, with protestors and political parties demanding to disband the NTA.
An unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 out of 720, which added to the concerns.
