The CBI has arrested a medical student of Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Medical College in Rajasthan's Bhilwara in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak case, officials said on Sunday (August 4). The investigation into the case is being conducted by the CBI, where the central investigation agency took a major action by arresting Sandeep, a medical student at Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Medical College in Bhilwara. According to CBI sources, he is accused of solving the NEET paper. He was arrested in Patna after interrogation.
Accused presented in court
Sandeep, who was detained from Bhilwara, was presented before Special Judicial Magistrate Kumari Rinku at a special court in Patna Civil Court. The CBI requested a 7-day remand for Sandeep, but the court granted a 5-day remand.
He had allegedly solved the NEET question paper with other medical students in Hazaribagh before the May 5 exam. The solved paper was sent to candidates in Bihar and Jharkhand by Rocky and other mafia members of the Sanjeev Mukhiya gang for them to memorise.
The CBI investigation revealed that the main accused, Sanjeev Mukhiya and Rocky, had called medical students from Patna AIIMS, Ranchi RIMS, Mumbai, Bharatpur, and Bhilwara to Hazaribagh to solve the question paper. According to sources, other medical students are still on the CBI's radar.
Sanjeev’s links with Rajasthan exam mafia
According to CBI sources, Sanjeev Mukhiya, the mastermind of the NEET paper leak, is connected with Rajasthan exam mafia Balram Gurjar. They have a long-standing relationship, and Rocky is also associated with them. Both gangs have previously committed fraud together, and it is likely that Rocky contacted medical students from Rajasthan with the help of Balram Gurjar.
Regarding the case, Dr. Varsha, Principal of Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Medical College, Bhilwara, said that they received information about it on Sunday.
Sandeep is a first-year medical student at Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Medical College in 2023 and was supposed to take his exams on August 6. He had subjects like Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry. He recently took the Pre-University exam, which ended on July 13, and was preparing for the main exams at home, officials said.
What did Supreme Court say on NEET-UG paper leak?
In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court on August 2 clarified that the paper leak of the NEET-UG 2024 exam was not a widespread issue but was confined to specific locations, namely Patna and Hazaribagh. The court emphasised that while there was no systemic breach affecting the entire examination, the incident still raised serious concerns about the structural processes within the National Testing Agency (NTA), the body responsible for conducting the exam. The top court gave this clarification on why it did not cancel the examination.
In its judgment, the apex court pointed out various deficiencies in the existing processes of the NTA, highlighting the need for immediate improvements. "We cannot afford this for the betterment of the students...Issues which have arisen must be rectified by the Centre this year itself so that it is not repeated," the court said in its judgement. In its detailed reasons for the order which was pronounced on July 23, a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said the National Testing Agency (NTA) must stop its flip-flop which was noticed this year as it does not serve the interest of students.
NEET-UG exam 2024
The NEET-UG is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country. The Centre and the NTA had on June 13 told the top court that they had cancelled the grace marks given to 1,563 candidates who took the examination for admission to MBBS and other such courses. The examination was held on May 5 across 4,750 centres and around 24 lakh candidates appeared for it. The results were expected to be declared on June 14 but were announced on June 4, apparently because the evaluation of the answer sheets got completed earlier.
