NEET Scam: CBI Gets Cracking, Registers FIR

New Delhi: A day after taking charge, the Centre Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a First Information Report (FIR) in connection with alleged irregularities, including paper leak, in the NEET-UG examination.

On Saturday, the Central government ordered a CBI probe into grave allegations in the conduct of the crucial entrance exam for admission to undergraduate medical courses.

“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/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 comprehensive investigation. 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 matter connected therewith or incidental thereto,” the government stated in an official release.

Facing flak from all quarters, the Education Ministry first scrapped grace marks awarded to 1,563 students and ordered a retest which was held on Sunday.

As the controversy and protests snowballed, the government cancelled the UGC-NET a day after the exam as question paper was leaked on the darknet. A day after, the NEET-PG exam was postponed.

So was the CSIR-UGC NET exam — for Assistant Professor posts and Junior Research Fellowships (JRFs) — which was scheduled to be held from June 25 to 27.

Also Read: Govt Removes NTA Chief Ahead Of NEET Retest, Postpones PG Entrance Exam For Medical Students