Patna Court Remands Two Accused To CBI Custody In NEET Paper Leak Case

BY: THE LEX TIMES

Two individuals accused of leaking the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) question paper were placed in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody on Wednesday by a special court in Patna.

The accused, Baldev Kumar and Mukesh Kumar, were remanded to CBI custody after the agency took over the investigation from the Economic Offences Wing (EOU) of the Bihar Police, as reported by Republic.

The report indicates that thirteen individuals from Patna and five from Jharkhand are in judicial custody. These individuals were initially apprehended by the EOU, which was investigating the case before it was handed over to the CBI.

Currently, the CBI is examining six different cases related to the NEET paper leak, with incidents reported in Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.

Earlier this week, the EOU transferred the first information report (FIR) to the CBI, according to the report.

Upon obtaining these documents, the CBI initiated investigations at multiple locations in Patna.

The agency also visited the residence of the main suspect, Sikandar Yadavendu, a junior engineer with the Danapur town council, and a society in Patna.

Additionally, a plea is pending before the Supreme Court of India, alleging that the National Testing Agency (NTA) was involved in manipulating Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets for this year’s NEET.

The matter is scheduled for a hearing on July 8, along with several other pleas, including one filed by the NTA to transfer NEET-related cases from various High Courts to the Supreme Court.

On June 20, the Court issued a notice on the transfer plea and stayed proceedings related to NEET in various High Courts.

Media reports also highlighted that an unusually large number of candidates achieved perfect scores in the results published on June 4.

Candidates have alleged irregularities in the awarding of compensatory marks to students for lost time.