The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended Aman Singh, the suspected key conspirator behind the irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-UG, in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, an official stated.
Previously, the CBI had arrested two accused individuals—Dr. Ehsaan Ul Haq and Imtiaz Alam, the principal and vice-principal of Oasis School in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. Haq had been appointed as the city coordinator for the NEET-UG 2024 exam.
In a related development, the CBI also made two arrests in Patna, Bihar, detaining Manish Prakash and Ashutosh, who were allegedly involved in facilitating the irregularities. According to a senior CBI official, Ashutosh provided safe houses for the students, while Manish transported them to a school for preparation. “Manish Prakash transported the students in his car. While the students were accommodated in Ashutosh’s house,” the official noted.
Last month, the central government assigned the CBI to investigate the irregularities in the NEET-UG case comprehensively. The CBI subsequently registered multiple FIRs related to reported paper leaks, impersonation of candidates, and cheating.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducted the NEET-UG examination, has faced significant criticism over these alleged irregularities, sparking nationwide protests and calls from demonstrators and political parties to disband the NTA. The Supreme Court is set to hear a batch of pleas on July 8, alleging paper leaks and irregularities in the NEET-UG exam.
The cause list for July 8, uploaded on the top court’s website, indicates that the pleas will be reviewed by a bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. The apex court had previously sought a response from the NTA regarding the pleas for a fresh NEET-UG 2024 examination, highlighting that the “sanctity” of the exam had been compromised and required an explanation from the testing agency.
The Supreme Court had earlier informed the NTA that any negligence in conducting the NEET-UG 2024 exam must be thoroughly addressed. In response, the Centre and the NTA had informed the court on June 13 that they had cancelled the grace marks awarded to 1,563 candidates and offered these candidates the option to either retake the exam on June 23 or forgo the compensatory marks. A total of 813 students opted for the retest held across seven centres.
