SC asks Haryana Police to finish AIPMT paper leak probe

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked Haryana Police to quickly complete the probe into the leakage of question papers of the All India Pre-medical Entrance Test (AIPMT), indicating that re-conducting the exam was the last option.

Directing the law enforcing agencies of Maharashtra, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and other states where the answers keys of the question paper were transmitted to cooperate with Haryana Police in the investigations, the apex court bench of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit asked the police to file progress report on the investigations.

The court also asked the telecom service providers to extend cooperation to the police and provide details of the calls made to and from the 70 mobile phones used in the entire operation.

As some of the petitioners, including parents and a doctor urged the court to order to re-conduct the AIPMT, the court said that tracing the candidates who benefited from the leak was not difficult and if they are identified, the result would be declared after excluding them.

However, the court made it clear that it was hearing the matter with an open mind and would wait for the outcome of the investigation.

"All of you want holding of fresh exams. We are sitting with an open mind. We will hear it and decide," the court said addressing their anxiety.

Haryana Police in their status report on Thursday told the court that the kingpin of the AIPMT question paper leak case, Roop Singh Dangi, was yet to be arrested but one of his accomplices, S. Srivastava, has been arrested.

Srivastava hails from Patel Nagar area of Delhi and was instrumental in arranging 700 vests fitted with electronic devices that were used by the candidates to receive the answer keys.